


We (were)n't supposed to be Immortal

by Xitlalit



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: "Same last name?" "Same last name!" AU, A mix of AU's, Alternate Universe - Not Related, I respect a lot of you, M/M, Moros Shouldn't Be Allowed In Cinematic Production AU, Older Hiro, Sibling Incest, This goes out to a lot of you, hidashi, not siblings in this but ya know, this is gonna be long
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-12-22
Packaged: 2018-03-09 22:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3266681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xitlalit/pseuds/Xitlalit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When sixteen year old Hiro Hamada was admitted into the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology he hadn't expected much. And he certainly didn't expect to fall in love with the last name stealing martyr that was Tadashi Hamada. Really if the guy had just left him alone during his freshman year it would have saved everyone so much grief.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No Sense of Direction

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hoshi (ladylune)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladylune/gifts), [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts), [trashyhenli](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=trashyhenli), [InkStainsOnMyHands](https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkStainsOnMyHands/gifts), [Hidashi Family (Tumblr)](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Hidashi+Family+%28Tumblr%29).



> So this is basically an AU mix of "Moros Shouldn't Be Allowed In Cinematic Production" Aka: This is why you don't let me near children's movies story + "Same last name?" "Same last name!" thought up by the brilliant trashyhenli and moros-mints on tumblr respectively. I was inspired to do this by reading hoshi (ladylune) stories, specifically Hot Doctor. It's absolutely wonderful. And all of InkStainsOnMyHands writtings. Man they are all great everyone should read them. I did change some things for the sake of original plot but I will be adding keeping key point and such. This also goes out to the Hidashi family. A.K.A. the dorks everythinghidashi, daddy-hidashi, hidashihavenforyou, and sanfransokyohomo on tumblr. Really it's such a great fandom.

Hiro had, in all honesty, not expected much when he had been invited to attend the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology.

 

Of course graduating high school as valedictorian at the age of sixteen didn't immediately qualify him as 'college student material'. But apparently, that didn't mean anything as Professor Callaghan head of the school's robotics program, took it upon himself to personally grant Hiro admission.

 

He wasn't stupid enough to reject the offer, but he definitely wasn't crazy enough to at least think about it before he put himself through all the hell that was college.

 

His parents had encouraged him to go through with it like any sane parents would. And it wasn't like he was completely against the idea either. I mean anyone who was even remotely interested in robotics knew who Callaghan was. The man was ridiculously successful and a complete genius.

 

SFIT was known for it’s ririgorous and highly competitive programs as well as their student run labs. And Hiro had been dying to upgrade from his poor excuse of a makeshift lab that he had going on in his basement.

 

And while Hiro hadn't expected much, he certainly hadn't imagined this.

 

The school was massive.

 

He had specifically arrived early to get a feel for the school and not get lost on his first day. He couldn't even tell where the campus started and where it ended.

 

Shifting on his feet he could physically feel the stares of a few curious college students no doubt wondering what he was during here. It probably didn't help that he had a baby face and not to mention his stupid tooth gap. He really should have gotten those braces but he was too stubborn at the time, unwilling to let people have something else to make fun of him for. But it's not like it really mattered in the long run.

 

Shifting his gaze downward Hiro sighed running his hand though his hair. Looking back he had asked Callaghan not to make a big deal about him attending the school but now he wondered if it would have made a difference. Everything about him just looked out of place here. 

 

“You’re a very bright and talented student Hiro.” Professor Callaghan had smiled. Amusement in his eyes as he looked down at the prodigy. “You need to get comfortable with your own achievements. Not only will SFIT recognize you. But with your gift, the whole world will come to acknowledge you. I can see great things in your future.”

 

Hiro honestly didn't have a clue what the world could possibly see come from him. He just didn't want to be harassed on his first day of school. And right now being noticed was the last thing he needed. He wasn't too short, if anything he was a few inches from being an average sixteen year old.

 

Maybe it was just his nerves getting to him but he was sure he was gonna throw up if he didn't find out where he was. Maybe he should retrace his steps back to the bus stop... ? Wait. No. The bus stop had been a block away from campus right? No, that would be dumb of course there was stop somewhere closer.

 

Was his sense of direction really that bad?

 

“Hey kid, are you lost?”

 

Hiro flinched as a hand was placed on his shoulder startling him from his train of thought. How long had he just been standing here staring at the buildings in front of him? Was he even technically lost? Well he hadn't even moved an inch from the pavement, but he certainly didn't know where in the world he was at the moment. The bus stop had to be at least a few feet away from here... Maybe if he just-

 

“Um... kid?”

 

Oh right, a response.

 

“Y-Yeah I’m fine. Great actually, totally fine.” Hiro moved away from the stranger not once looking the man in the face out of embarrassment. He quickly mumbled a thank you as he scurried towards a random pair of large wooden doors, praying that he looked completely calm and collected.

 

Why had he even agreed to this? Looking back it was a really bad idea. I mean for God’s sake he was sixteen. Honestly, what had he been thinking?! A normal sixteen year old doesn't belong anywhere near a college with a bunch of grown ass adults who actually finished high school the right way. But then again, Hiro wasn't normal. A normal sixteen year old didn't think it was fun to spend hours in a dark cold basement playing with pieces of scrap metal.

 

Groaning as he run a hand through his dark messy hair. Hiro scowled at his own stupidity as he glanced around for some kind of directory that would lead him to where he had to go.

 

This wasn't going according to plan at all. He had woken up early to catch the bus, made himself a piece of toast as he pulled on his favorite blue zip up hoodie and shorts. He must have spent at least twenty minutes looking for his worn out beat up sneakers. His mom had told him he needed to invest in some new ones, but there was no time between setting up his schedule online and all of the long mandatory meetings he had with the board of directors. And not to mention coding his own SFIT campus ma-

 

Wait. That was it!

 

How could he have forgotten about that?! In his mounting anxiety he had coded a chip into his phone that would lead him around the school. Shifting so that he was out of people’s way Hiro made his way over into a corner of the hall, pulling out his phone, his eyes quickly scanning the door ahead of him to read the room number. Aha! So it turned out that he was in the school’s history department. Typing in the room number next to him, and the room he was supposed to be in for his first period, Hiro resisted the urge to slam his face into the neighboring wall.

 

Of course he was supposed to be on the other side of campus. Luck had never been that kind to him. Although SFIT was essentially a "tech school". It still offered a variety of majors, each with it’s own department building. And as his luck would have it, he was in the building farthest from where he was supposed to be.

 

Slipping his phone into the pocket of his shorts Hiro shifted his gray backpack over his shoulders letting out a frustrated scoff all while mentally preparing for his long trip. It was seven thirty so he had a least a good thirty minutes to make it to his first class if he ran. Dodging fellow college students Hiro wormed his way back through to the entrance and began his sprint to class.

 

And when he said sprint, he actually meant random periods of running and a lot of painful out of breath heaving as he half jogged his way through campus.

 

At this point he didn't know if it was his own footsteps or his heart that was making the loud thumping noise in his ears.

 

His side burned terribly cursing him for his lack of physical excursion. What he lacked in brawn he definitely made up in brain. He probably had the physical stamina of a dead battery. Which he blamed entirely on his prodigy status, it wasn't his fault that engineering and robotics wasn't exactly an outdoor activity. And even if it was, there was no way Hiro would have ever gotten involved with it.

 

His entire source of nutrients consisted of high amounts of sugar, coffee, and random flavors of instant ramen. And he was positive that the only reason he looked the way he did was just a result of genetics and the fact that he often forgot to eat entirely.

 

He was in no way lacking food. His mom made him dinner whenever she could. And his dad definitely didn't allow Hiro to spend all his time in the basement like some kind of rat. He just made too many promises of eating once he was finished, which resulted in soggy cold food gone to waste. He never let them know of it though. He would get rid of the evidence by tossing the contents of the plate next door for the neighbor’s dog. Though the sliding slosh of the food as it slipped off the plate and onto the clean grass did nothing to lessen his guilt.

 

Now that he thought about it. While it did hurt, it actually kind of felt good to run. Or maybe he was just going numb to the pain. He hoped his body wouldn't collapse anytime soon. Who knows what would happen if he fainted now.

 

The wind felt nice on his heating skin and he didn't have to face anyone. The other students were simply colorful blurred slashes from the corner of his eyes. And hey, he was pretty good at dodging. Well except that awkward fumble with a few people when he dashed around a corner. He had been lucky that the girl hadn't spilled her drink.

 

Looking around the campus wasn't half bad. Sure the sidewalk was worn down from all the pressure of years of people dragging themselves to class, but it was still pretty nice. The larger building were weathered to look old fashioned, like scientists from years ago could still be found wandering around the halls.

 

With a few final steps Hiro practically hung himself on the stair railing leading into the robotics building. He probably looked like a wet towel left to dry in the sun with how he had draped himself onto the cold metal.

 

You know what? He took back what he had said about running. That was _awful._

 

Okay... Hiro huffed pulling himself up from his slouched position on the stairs. With loud lingering breaths he straightening out his clothes and ran a shaky hand through his wind tousled hair, he probably looked more insane than usual. He felt sweaty and beyond tired. He had been meaning to get a haircut at some point.

 

Boosting his own confidence Hiro calmed his nerves, taking out his cellphone he saw the red arrow indicating that his desired location was just a floor ahead of him. He took his time to appreciate the small flashing red arrow before he slipped the phone back into his pocket.

 

“Alright.” He took a deep breath, taking each step carefully as though time would wait for him to put his foot down on the pavement before continuing. “Welcome to nerd school, Hiro. You better not mess this up.”


	2. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over the span of his four horrible years in high school Hiro had come to learn that there really was no nice way of saying. I’m sorry that I’m smarter than you. And that it was probably just better to say nothing at all. And while one could argue that he had already eliminated all possibilities of getting a friend with his current mentality...
> 
> That was kind of the point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh... So like Hi. Yeah.. THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE A PRIORITY DANG IT.

 

 

He wasn't late!

 

It was probably just god taking pity on him at this point, but he would gladly take any miracle thrown his way.

 

Hiro honestly didn't even care that he had nearly tripped on his way over to the elevator. There was no way he was walking up two flights of stairs after that whole mess across campus.

 

He was so tired he didn't even notice that everyone was staring at him. He knew they were, he just couldn't muster up the strength to process it. And honestly he didn't even look _that_ young.

 

Professor Callaghan had told him that classes were seated by last name, although this one was divided into sections.

 

Engraved in the corner of the long wooden tables was a letter for that designated section. Taking the first open seat farthest from every other ‘H’ student, Hiro slowly sank down into his chair. Not even bothering to pull out any supplies to take notes. The likelihood that he already knew everything that was going to be taught in this class was too high.

 

Crossing his arms over the cold polished table Hiro instantly let his head fall into the gap created by his elbow. Burying his face into the warmth of his own skin as he closed his eyes and waited for class to start.

 

There was at least a good three minutes before the bell and he was going to take full advantage of them.

 

He was probably the only sixteen year old here within the group of eighteen, maybe nineteen year old college kids. While it wasn't a large age gap, Hiro already knew that the chances of them liking him were zero to none.

 

While people were always encouraged to gain and discover their talents, and then share their gifts with the awaiting world... They were never received with open arms.

 

Over the span of his four horrible years in high school Hiro had come to learn that there really was no nice way of saying, ' _I’m sorry that I’m smarter than you'._  And that it was probably just better to say nothing at all. And while one could argue that he had already eliminated all possibilities of getting a friend with his current mentality...

 

That was kind of the point.

 

.

 

For today the sound of the screeching bell brought more relief than dread, but that would get old real soon.

 

When he heard the sound of chairs skidding across the floor and the nervous whispers of other incoming freshmen students fall away he knew the Professor had walked in.

 

The man didn't look to old. Maybe late thirties early forties. He was definitely above average height so he probably played basketball in his youth. What thin hair he had on his head was messy and wild like he had ran his hands through it to many times to count.

 

Most math and science teachers Hiro had met didn't usually look like that unless they had been teaching for more than twenty years, or were just plain insane. And it wasn't like he had the right to judge. He had always been told he had a weird sort of bird nest slowly forming on his head. And with every passing year he didn't get it cut, the more twigs and leaves the imaginary bird added to his collection.

 

The man’s eyes were a clear icy blue but the faint tired purple crescents underneath them showed that he spent most of his time grading and correcting. He gave off a terse sort of feeling but looked easy to approach with intellectual concerns. He was slightly slouched with the weight of his own knowledge but he held his head high to show an almost challenging confidence.

 

Sitting up Hiro met the man’s gaze as he inspected the class. He knew what was coming so he might as well introduce himself first as to not make it such a big deal in front of everyone else. On the bus ride over to SFIT he had already practiced what to say to all his Professors. Letting the man make the first move and walk towards him calmly, Hiro sighed clearing his throat.

 

“I-”

 

“I’m really sorry that I’m late!”

 

Huh?

 

The sound of the door slamming open with a dramatic swing was enough to draw everyone’s attention away from Hiro and the Professor. All eyes fell onto the young male currently making his way over. The brown bag at his side swinging as he got closer with each step.

 

“There was an incident in the lab and someone needed help.” The boy explained. Adjusting the cap on his head in a motion that really shouldn't have caught his attention but he would be lying if he said it hadn't.

 

If this guy thought he was a bad person because he had gotten held up helping someone. Then Hiro was just pure evil, there was no hope strong enough in the world left for him.

 

This guy wasn't even late. The bell had rung what? Point two seconds ago? Those were some pretty high standards.

 

“It’s alright.” The Professor sighed shifting away from Hiro so that he was facing the boy. “I’ll let it slide for today but I expect you to be on time Tadashi. Especially considering you've spent your entire summer here.”

 

Tadashi? Hiro thought, taking the extra time to look the guy over.

 

He was wearing a forest green dress coat over a light brown cardigan and white t-shirt. His brown skin tight jeans somehow matched with his mint converses in a way that should probably be banned from the eyes of the fainthearted. Looking around he could tell that he wasn't the only one who thought so.

 

Really this whole thing was unfair.

 

While he looked like a poster child for some obnoxious campaign trying to teach kids what would happen to them if they didn't spend more time outside and socialize.

 

This "Tadashi" guy was just asking for a manager and modeling contract. He was disgusting good looking and judging by the fact that he was late for _this_ class also meant he was incredibly smart to boot. _Unbelievable._

 

“Yeah, I’m really sorry.” The older boy smiled. Oh god, he better not do that again. The girls sitting two rows behind him looked close to passing out as it was. And after that run he didn't think his cold emotionally dead heart could take the hit either. That smile was so perfect that it was annoying. He didn't want to die this way. “I’ll make sure it doesn't happen again.”

 

“Good.” The Professor nodded moving away to return to the front of the class, having completely forgotten about Hiro. “Take a seat and we’ll get started shortly.”

 

“Okay, thank you.”

 

It was official. Hiro completely resented this guy. He would bet money on the fact that Tadashi probably spent his free time helping out old people and fixing all of the worlds problems for free.

 

He drew attention to himself like moths to bright light. He was the kind of person Hiro had always tried to avoid for the sake of wanting to be noticed as little as possible. So now he had to go through the all trouble of making it his life’s mission to avoid him whenever-

 

Wait. Why was this guy sitting next to him?

 

Hiro sat up looking around the room. Yes there were definitely a billion open seats in this section. So why in the world was Tadashi next to him?! He could already feel the death threats piling into his locker simply for breathing the same air as the missing prince.

 

It wasn't his fault though, if he wasn't human he would hold his breath for the rest of the hour and a half of class. Though even without trying he could smell the faint scent of green tea and- No. Hiro stop it. God he was so creepy. He was supposed to be ignoring the jerk.

 

What if Hiro had been saving the seat next to him? Well he wasn't, but no one knew that.

 

Shifting in his chair Hiro acted as though he hadn't noticed Tadashi getting settled a few inches beside him. He was sure that if he made eye contact right now he would be swallowed by the friendly personality the other boy was practically oozing.

 

He knew for a fact that if he turned to look right now the guy would probably smile, shake his hand, and be so nice to him that Hiro would have no other choice but to go along with his every whim. He had met a few guys like that before, seemingly kind and good looking people. But they all had ended up being terrible jerks. People like that made a point to be kind to everyone, but secretly they were using them all to their advantage. 

 

Pushing those thoughts aside, Hiro took the time to asses the table. In all honesty, while he didn't like it, he felt the slightest bit more comfortable with the fact that there was person sitting next to him. It made him look less hostile and lonely.

 

“Alright class, if we are done with all the interruptions I am Professor Craige. This is Advanced Engineering 101.” Hiro really hated the way Professor Craige turned to look directly at him. “If this is not where you are supposed to be. I suggest you take your belongings and excuse yourself without further instruction.”

 

He could feel everyone’s gaze on his back. Watching, waiting, _expecting_ him to get up and leave. This is exactly why he had wanted to explain himself before pretty boy had walked in ruining everything. Straightening up Hiro willed away his embarrassment and made a point of staring ahead at the white board directly behind Professor Craige’s head.

 

Craige simply raised an eyebrow as though exasperated after what was about the longest five minutes of awkward silence Hiro had ever had to sit through.

 

He knew he could be stubborn but really, this guy was starting to piss him off.

 

“Young man.” He sighed. “I gave you a valid excuse to leave.”

 

Fuck you Craige.

 

“You said this was Advanced Engineering 101 right?” Hiro bit back his irritation and snarky attitude. Trying to go for composed and indifferent but more than likely failing. Tadashi had turned to look at him, something like curiosity in his eyes but Hiro still refused to turn his head towards him.

 

“Of course.”

 

“Well then." Hiro nearly scowled resisting the urge to cross his arms over his chest. "I’m supposed to be here.”

 

The room filled with a surprised tension. A wonder that would no doubt turn to jealousy over the next few weeks.

 

“Are you now?” Craige moved so that his weight was placed on the tall dark podium in front of him. Leaning on the wood casually like he was simply making pleasant conversation. “How old are you boy?”

 

Hiro felt in no way pleasant with this conversation. He didn't want to answer that question. He felt the familiar flair of burning heat on his skin that always appeared when there was eyes on him.

 

“Well?”

 

“Si...een..”

 

“I couldn't quite catch that.”

 

From the corner of his eye he saw Tadashi lean towards him, a concerned look in his dark eyes. Good job Hiro. You already messed everything up. Now the guy feels bad for you. What are you, some kind of _pity_ case?

 

“I’m sixteen.” Hiro bit out. He could feel a spike of coldness collect around him. Surprise and disbelief were immediately directed towards him. “I could have graduated high school at the age of twelve but my parents thought it wouldn't be good for my _emotional growth._ I got admitted here at the personal request of Professor Callaghan." Waving his hand around in a quick dismissive manner he continued. Mumbling his words, "I’m what you would call a _prodigy_.”

 

He didn't care if it sounded like he was bragging. He didn't come here to make friends. If they were going to resent him like everyone had always done, then he would take their cold rejection and create a cage of ice for himself.

 

The class fell into silence for a while after that.

 

Professor Craige stared at him. Examining the way he sat there as though contemplating something. Hiro stayed still, refusing to go along with his childish nature that screamed at him to shrink back into his seat and disappear.

 

After what felt like an eternity the man smiled at him. A look tinted with remorse like he had understood what Hiro was trying to do.

 

“Alright. Please excuse my previous assumption.” He said standing up at his full height which appeared more intimidating than it originally had seemed. “I expect great things from you young man. This won’t be an easy class, I will make you work for your status.” Startling everyone Craige suddenly clapped his hands together producing a sound similar to that of thunder. “Now. If anyone else has something they would like to announce before we start I suggest you make it known now. I will not accept further irrelevant discussion.” Looking around at the still room he scoffed. “ _No?_ Very well then. I’ll take role.”

 

Hiro felt all the false pride he had built up within himself crumble. Slumping in on himself he felt a small rush of pressure behind his eyes. He felt like he wanted to cry but he shoved it back before he could let it collect. Letting out a shaky breath he let the random names of his peers filter through his ears. He only jumped when a soft hand gently nudged his shoulder. Shooting a look to his right Hiro jerked back slightly as he was suddenly face to face with Tadashi.

 

“Hey.” He said, a cautious smile forming over his worried expression. “Are you okay?”

 

Okay? Confusion spilled into Hiro’s mind. No one had bothered to ask him that before. "Y-"

 

“Hiro Hamada.”

 

Quickly turning to face Professor Craige again he responded rapidly. “Present.”

 

“Very good.” Craige huffed. “Tadashi Hamada.”

 

H-Hamada...?

 

Oh god no.

 

“Also present.” Came the reply.

 

With dread pooling in his gut Hiro turned to the male facing him. The amused smile on his face made Tadashi appear even more attractive then should be legally allowed possible. And Hiro found that he really disliked that expression.

 

“We have the same last name.” He pointed out as if Hiro hadn't heard. “I never thought I’d meet someone with the same last name. That’s pretty rare. It’s nice to meet you Hiro Hamada.” Tadashi said as he stuck out his hand towards him, silently asking for a handshake.

 

  
“Uh..” Completely dumbfounded and still functioning purely on anxiety Hiro could do nothing else but clasp his weak bony hand into Tadashi’s firm grip. “Yeah... Nice to meet you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain spit this out and my hands had no problem going along with it.


	3. Of Calculus and Cats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Uh, I-” Tadashi’s eyes followed him as Hiro made his way out of the classroom. “Hey-Hiro, wait-”
> 
> Nope. Not a chance. Hiro scoffed as he reached the door frame, quickly turning the corner and was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think what I've been doing is called updating "painfully slow". Ehehe...

 

Needless to say they hadn't done much learning as you would have expected on the first day.

 

Professor Craige seemed fully intent on making everyone feel as uncomfortable as possible, no doubt trying to get a feel for his students. He had left Hiro alone for the majority of class, probably letting him off the hook since he had completely embarrassed him within the first few minutes of meeting.

 

Maybe he was just trying to redeem Hiro’s respect for him. Either way, as long as he was being ignored then Craige was officially his favorite professor.

 

Now if only the guy sitting beside him would kindly do the same, everything would be just peachy.

 

Throughout the entire period Tadashi had glanced over at him every few minutes. No doubt looking to start some kind of conversation. He didn't even know what kind of expression he had on his face. But it must have been somewhere between inviting and apprehensive because in his mind, he had done absolutely nothing to gain Tadashi’s attention.

 

After an hour of internally debating whether or not to just turn and ask the guy what he wanted, Hiro decided against it.

 

Instead he leaned over to his left, his chest meeting with the corner of the wood as he extended his arm out, pulling his backpack closer towards him. Mindlessly he began shuffling through his backpack that had slumped up against the black metal foot of the table. Taking his time he filed through the layers of scrap paper looking for something, anything really, that would make him look distracted enough not to be bothered with.

 

Aha!

 

Pulling out his schedule and SFIT student handbook Hiro turned back towards his original position placing the papers on the table. He leaning his body over the papers as though he was preparing to study them. His eyes skimmed the words at a slow pace to mimic reading. He had already memorized his schedule for the semester and no one ever bothered to read the school handbook.

 

And while he was nothing like everyone else. He wasn't actually going to read the thing.

 

Turning the page as Professor Craige continued on with a rundown of the semester, he could see Tadashi glance at him from the corner of his eye. A small disappointed frown formed on his face as he took in the sight of Hiro reading. With a sigh Tadashi rested his elbows down onto the table, his shoulders relaxing as he turned to face forward, seemingly giving up on him.

 

Success! Hiro relaxed in his seat feeling mildly accomplished.

 

Though taking a better look at Tadashi's defeated posture he couldn't help but feel just a little bit bad. Judging by the way the older boy slumped looking uninterested but attentive with what Professor Craige was explaining. Hiro could clearly tell he was pouting. It was kind of cute.

 

Wait a minute.

 

Cute...?

 

No... no, no, no.

 

Forcing back a disgruntled groan Hiro ran a hand through his hair crinkling the papers in front of him as he moved.

 

He didn't want to talk to Tadashi or anyone else here for that matter. And judging from the fact he didn't look completely defeated meant he was going to try again at some point or another.

 

Hiro looked up over at the clock hanging right above the doorway. He had three minutes for class to be over. Craige seemed to be wrapping up his speech, which to be honest, he had only half listened to. He had filtered out only the important words. But he had stopped listening altogether when classwork was brought up. Even if Craige said Hiro was going to have to work for his status, deep down he knew this was going to be an easy A.

 

Straightening up his posture he gave the clock a quick side glance.

 

A little over a minute left.

 

“Alright.” Professor Craige drew everyone's attention back towards him. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned backwards onto the front of his podium. “That was a summary of what's in store for you all if you wish to remain in this course.” He said as his eyes scanned the group. His gaze lingering on a few nervous looking students. “If you still have questions or concerns come see me during my office hours. For those of you who plan on switching out..." He smirked. "I mourn your wasted potential. Class dismissed.”

 

Craige concluded his speech turning by his back to the class as he began collecting his things.

 

He was probably one of _those_ teachers. The ones who would use as much time as possible regardless of how much everyone else was dying to leave. And Hiro normally wouldn't have cared considering he had no where else to be, but today-

 

Today he wanted out.

 

People around him began moving. Awkwardly standing from their seats and hesitantly picking up their things. Binder clips clasped shut as papers were rustled. Some brave souls started up conversations with other nearby students standing around them. Trying to make the most of the first day.

 

As quickly as he could without looking frantic Hiro shoved the papers back into his backpack, yanking it up onto his lap. Beside him Tadashi sat up straight, following his movements as he picked up his own brown bag, ducking his head as he swung the strap over his broad shoulders.

 

Hiro knew that if he wasn't out of here in a few seconds he was going to be trapped.  Pulling the sides of his backpack together he quickly zipped it closed with a practiced speed.

 

“Hey, um-” Tadashi pushed his chair in as a stood up turning to face him. A friendly smile painted onto his features as he adjusted the leather strap across his chest.

 

 _No..._ He internally groaned. _Why me?_ Hiro sighed mournfully, watching as students filtered out of the door. Throwing his backpack over his shoulder he slipped around his seat to stand behind his chair.

 

“Hir-”

 

“Hey!” Startled by the sudden shout, they both stopped and turned to look in the direction the noise had come from.

 

Who..?

 

“You’re Tadashi, right?” A female voice interrupted their would be conversation.

 

Saved! Hiro lingered around long enough to get a look at the girl. She wasn't alone, another girl slightly shorter stood beside her. They were basically living barbie dolls. Same figure and extensions as the doll, their makeup was spot on too. Congrats on being pretty and smart. He'd give them a trophy but Tadashi kind of already claimed it. Either way, props to them.

 

“Yeah, I’m Tadashi. Did you need something from me?”

 

The girls briefly glanced at Hiro, a dismissive look in their eyes as they purposely ignored him.

 

Ouch.

 

Well, okay then. Message received. They clearly found him unpleasant and didn't want him there. Well he definitely didn't ask to be here either, so tough gummy bears lady.

 

“We were wondering if you were busy later today?” The taller girl asked, a flip of her blond hair as she placed it behind her ear to reveal small gold earrings.

 

Asked on date on the first day? Unbelievable. Was this guy even real? He was sure no one ever got that lucky. Quietly kicking in his chair Hiro turned on his heel, quickly making his way to the exit. This was his time to escape and he wasn't losing it.

 

“Uh, I-” Tadashi’s eyes followed him as Hiro made his way out of the classroom. “Hey-Hiro, wait-”

 

 _Nope. Not a chance._ Hiro scoffed as he reached the door frame, quickly turning the corner and was gone.

 

Weaving his way down the hall and practically jumping down the stairs without any real destination in mind, Hiro took the first large door leading outside. The wind greeted him before the sun did as he moved out of people’s way. Looking out into the courtyard he made his way over to an empty table hidden behind a few trees. Unlike this morning, not many students were wandering about so he could spend his time alone in peace.

 

He had an hour or so before his next class. And while he could just go home and come back, it would just be a waste of bus fare and he’d more than likely be late. Taking a seat on the weathered piece of wood Hiro took the time to think about his day so far.

 

Did it suck? Yes. Monday's usually suck but this one was a vacuum on steroids.

 

Did his classmates dislike him? Most likely.

 

Did he blame them? Nope.

 

Was Tadashi Hamada going to try and talk to him on Wednesday? Probably.

 

It wasn't like Hiro hated the guy. Tadashi genuinely seemed kind enough, but that was entirely besides the point. If people couldn't tell by now he didn't really have many friends.

 

Actually if he was completely honest he had no friends at all. Though it didn't really bother him as much anymore. A life as a child prodigy was a lonely one. The amount of pressure he was forced to carry was enormous, and the amount of bitter doubt and jealousy was just as heavy on his strained shoulders.

 

It wasn't his parents fault though. He had brought this upon himself.

 

While it is true that some parents did push their kids too hard and give them breakdowns. Hiro had never been forced into doing anything by his parents. It wasn't like they didn't care, they just knew _he_ cared too much. If anything he felt sorry for them.

 

They had always been the ones forced to deal with the constant meetings, documents, tests, reporters, and just plain rude adults constantly judging their way of parenting, all because Hiro had always been just a bit to cocky and overall very bad with people. His mom could calm a storm with her strong yet polite manner, and his dad spoke with a voice about as demanding as thunder, everyone had no choice but to listen and be amazed.

 

There is no consensus about how to raise ordinary children, so it is not surprising that there is nothing in books about how to raise remarkable children.

 

Like parents of children who are severely challenged, parents of exceptionally talented children are custodians of young people beyond their comprehension.

 

So that’s why when the bullying, taunting, and exploitation of his _talent_ , if Hiro could even call it that, had started. He dealt with it himself.

 

Every confidence shattering, emotionally scarring thing that every psychologist claimed would destroy a child’s development, he went though. The name calling, the physical and emotional blows, the rejection, the ‘do my homework or else!’, the forced company of kids he knew hated him but pretended to be nice just because their parents wished they could somehow inherit his intelligence, even though Hiro would have gladly gone through hell and back just to give it away to anyone.

 

He brought “friends” home to meet his parents just to provided them with a sense of comfort, that yes, he was doing okay. Even though he always knew that they approached him with the intention of finding out if a person could hit something lower than rock bottom.

 

At this point Hiro could fully testify that it was possible. He had a drawer in his room filled with torn out robot designs that even he knew were far too dangerous to ever use on anyone. Let alone some stupid kid in his class.

 

So needless to say that when the opportunity presented itself he had gone ahead and sprinted his way through high school.

 

He let people copy. Let them claim his work, use him as a stepping stool and threaten him with harassment, because in the back of his mind. His fragile confidence still clung to the fact that _he was_ , and probably _always will be,_ better than everyone else.

 

It was a horrible thing to think. It was the kind of mentality that probably deserved all the ill intentions he had received. But even so, the thought comforted him the way people should have.

 

Pulling out his phone Hiro slid his thumb mindlessly over the screen. He had calculus in a classroom two buildings over. Somewhere near the science labs according to his map. The science labs were not open to the public for safety and invention copyright reasons. Though they were free for students to explore. SFIT assigned every upperclassmen aiming for a degree in some form of science a personal lab. Hiro couldn't wait for next year so he could declare his major and get an official lab all to himself.

 

Putting the device back into his pocket he stood up, stretching his arms before he shifted his clothes and backpack into a more comfortable position. He had the time so he might as well go check out a few labs while he was waiting.

 

Pulling up his hood Hiro began to make his way over to the lab building. The walk as ultimately brief and ordinary as anyone would expect it to be. But as he got closer he could see students running in and out of the large elaborate building. Some carrying detailed blueprints crumpled in their ambitious hands while others carried out complex looking pieces of an unfinished project. Hiro could feel his excitement building with each step. He was dying to just run up and take a look at what other students had been working on. Granted he wasn't going to be able to touch or poke at anything, but a good look wouldn't hurt.

 

Taking his chances Hiro pushed his way inside. Curiously making his way through a series of hallways. He grinned as he peeked through open doors. A student in a lab coat was making obnoxious hand gestures as they animatedly explained a glowing disk floating above the ground to another inventor. Even if Hiro wanted to know what it was he kept walking, making his way over to the next open door.

 

In the next room over there was a man holding a remote grinning almost manically as he looked up at something above him. Following his gaze Hiro resisted the urge to laugh. Some poor cat was wearing rocket boots on his paws, elevating him up into the air like a toy airplane. The feline looked just about as done as he was angry. Hiro watched as the man ran his thumb along his controller.

 

A move that appeared pretty harmless.

 

At first it merely looked like he was making the cat turn mid air, but testing anything with a live animal almost never went smoothly. He had personally learned that the hard way. The sudden change in movement startled the cat who instantly tried to shift it’s body so that it would instinctively land on its feet.

 

Either the cat was really strong or the restraints holding him to the boots were weak, because both boots instantly came loose on the cat’s right side sending it toppling over onto the inventors face. The poor guy screamed at the contact as he threw his controller down on reflex to protect his face. The piece of machinery instantly shattered upon contact with the floor and Hiro had no choice but to duck as the rockets ran wild. Knocking into everything it ran into as they flew past his head at an alarming yet impressive speed.

 

The cat and inventor took cover instantly. Ducking for shelter behind a desk. Trails of smoke followed the rockets path. And Hiro briefly wondered if fire alarms would go off.

 

The sound of clattering objects, clinging metal and tell tale sound of rockets drew the attention of other startled students as Hiro moved back, clutching at the straps on his shoulders as he made his way back towards where he had entered from. He watched as students and some advisers sprinted past him towards the lab. Only to duck and scatter around frantically for cover as they nearly were hit by one of four small cat sized rockets boots.

 

It was funny to see a bunch of nerds scramble around, flailing their hands in the air tying hopelessly to reach the dangerous objects.

 

If he was anyone else, he might of just stayed and helped them. Hey, maybe Tadashi would hear about this and come running in with a full proof plan. He would probably save the day in a way that no doubt would fail if anyone else had tried it.

 

With a small amused huff, Hiro let himself out before he could draw attention. He would get more chances to look at the labs later, and the last thing he wanted was to be involved in any incident report.

 

Making the walk back to the math department Hiro looked back his phone. He still had fifteen minutes before his next class started. Not knowing what else to do he made his way down the hall and into the second door on his left past the drinking fountain. The classroom looked just the same as the last one. Except that this one had actually bothered to seat them by last name and not just by letter.

 

“And you are?” A dull voice came from behind a desk placed in the far end of the room.

 

“I’m Hiro.” He said walking closer towards the old man who he guessed was his calculus teacher. “Hiro Hamada.”

 

“Hamada...” He moved to push back his glasses. “Aren't you a little young to be in college?”

 

Aren't you a little old to be alive?

 

“No. I’m sixteen.” He sighed. “Professor Callaghan probably told you about me.”

 

“Callaghan?” He frowned, a look of realization slowly working its way onto his face. “I know who you are, you’re the _prodigy_.”

 

Why did you have to say it like that?

 

“Yeah, that’s me.” Could he just tell him where to sit already?

 

As though reading his mind the old man let out a sharp laugh. “Alright Hamada. Second seat, third row from the front.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Making his way over Hiro casually threw down his things. Pulling out his seat calmly as he sat down, well at least now he wouldn't have to worry about looking so awkward. Downside was that people were going to be forced to sit next to him.

 

Taking out a piece of random scrap paper Hiro began to design his own pair of rocket boots. Modeling his after the guy’s failed ones. He added his own modifications and controls.

 

Where could he get a cat? His dad was allergic to cats so he wouldn't be able to test them out in his basement. What kind of rockets should he use? They definitely had to be small but strong. Reinforced metal plating? No that'd make them too heavy...

 

Throwing himself into his work he hadn't noticed anyone make their way in. He planned on continuing to work until class started and people would wander in and find their seats.

 

Would low friction-?

 

“Hiro...?”

 

Hm?

 

Pausing his train of thought, Hiro froze. His pencil had skid to a halt on his paper fast enough to tear a hole in it. He knew that voice. No... It couldn't be...

 

Looking up from his work his eyes widened. There in all his angelic glory stood the one and only.

 

Tadashi _Hamada_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was pretty long. I don't know how I'm doing pacing wise. Any constructive criticism? No badmouthing me or the people who this I'm writing this too. Talk shit get hit. Anyway I'm starting to enjoy this, maybe if Hiro would stop running away and bloody talk to someone I wouldn't have to write so many internal monologues. Never fear, like everyone else in the world he's gonna have too at some point. :D 
> 
> Side note, has anyone ever written a chapter that is 500000 characters long? If you have, props to you my friend. Nice job taking advantage of free lettering.


	4. Intuition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you ask him, Tadashi would say that he's a pretty tolerable guy to be around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if this chapter works here. I wrote five and thought it was out of place, so I wrote this one to be four instead... We'll see how it goes.

If you ask him, Tadashi would say that he's a pretty tolerable guy to be around.

 

He was decent at keeping up a pleasant conversation, and he made sure to keep himself well groomed.

 

Living with a baker, his Aunt Cass had a super keen sense of smell. Once he had spent a little too much time in his lab last summer. And the woman had dramatically locked him in the shower until he practically sweated soap. Though she hadn't said anything this morning when he had left, actually she had seen him off with a quick peck on the cheek. So as far has he knew, he didn't smell.

 

So that's why he's having trouble understanding why the fluffy haired teen keeps blatantly running from him.

 

And that wasn't even an exaggeration. The kid was quite literally _running from him_.

 

Well that wasn't even quite all of it. Hiro Hamada also seemed to be completely set on ignoring him.

 

This morning in advance engineering he had come running in late. He had apologized to the professor naturally, but in his haste he had failed to catch a glimpse of someone sitting behind the professor, shielded from his view.

 

When Professor Craige had moved aside to begin class, he saw him.

 

He looked so young that Tadashi almost thought _he_ was the one in the wrong class.

 

Hiro looked out of place with his round brown eyes, that captured every single word that made up the dictionary definition of youth. He had a face that resembled a porcelain doll. Free of any and all blemishes, his long dark blinking lashes only adding to the fact. He had neatly wild dark hair that strangely suited his slim figure. The strands collapsed ever so gently around his features, only making them more prominent, never shielding. He was almost tempted to reach out and feel it's visible softness.

 

When he was younger, he could remember reading stories of princesses being described as having button noses. At the time he couldn't really picture it. All his mind could come up with was women with different multicolored buttons in the place where their nose should have been. And there was nothing really beautiful about it. Though right now. In this very moment he finally had an idea of what that looked like.

 

The arch that made up the bridge of Hiro's nose was flawless. Sculpted from the cleanest marble with delicate care. It dipped down slowly without a single ridge and ended in a perfect peak that  rounded out ever so symmetrically into a sweet little bump.

 

If Tadashi was asked to describe Hiro in one word. Then he would have to say that the boy sitting here before him was strangely 'pretty'.

 

When Hiro met his gaze for the briefest of seconds, he could already tell that they had somehow started off on the wrong foot.

 

He could swear that in the seconds he had took in Hiro's appearance, the other boy had done the same. But judging by the way his innocent eyes scrunched up with distaste, and the way Hiro shifted in his seat looking mildly irritated. Tadashi could tell that whatever conclusion Hiro had come up with about him wasn't nearly as pleasant.

 

So feeling the need to redeem himself, he took the liberty of taking the seat right beside him. From this new position he could see that Hiro was very thin. He didn't appear to have any ounce of muscle on him, only the essential amount of fat to keep from looking sickly. Like a female model from a random magazine cover.

 

Even under his curious gaze, not once did Hiro turn to acknowledge him. And then it happened.

 

Professor Craige had called him out. Forcing him out of his dismissive stance and into a defensive one.

 

Hiro was...

 

A sixteen year old prodigy...?

 

He was shocked, definitely surprised. Though in a way it actually explained a lot about Hiro. He couldn't even feel an ounce of jealousy. If anything Tadashi wanted to know more. He wanted to immediately befriend the kid and hear all of his ideas about, well anything really. He had never met someone who could keep up with what he was talking about, and finally he had found someone who possibly could!

 

But judging by the way Hiro slumped in his seat, small shoulders curving slightly inward to shield himself. He could tell that all the younger boy really needed right now was a bit of comforting.

 

...

 

A tooth gap.

 

He had a tooth gap.

 

Instead of an imperfection, the childish separation between Hiro's teeth completed the school boy look. It was absolutely adorable.

 

Okay, moving on. He was sure he made some kind of progress with the other boy, because Hiro didn't look so annoyed when Tadashi had talked to him. And he accepted his handshake, so yup. Definitely made progress. And hey, they even had the same last name. That was pretty neat.

 

Towards the end of class however. All progress was basically removed and he had to restart.

 

When the bell rung he stood up when Hiro had and was preparing to start up a conversation before they had been interrupted. Two girls had come up to him and wanted to make plans. He had denied them as politely as he could, but he was hit with a wave of disappointment when Hiro had turned on his heel like a spinning top and left the class without another word.

 

With a sigh, Tadashi spent the hour he had before his next class in his lab finishing up the incident report from earlier.

 

He wrapped it up with a few signatures and glanced up at the clock. Fifteen minutes to spare. Tadashi Hamada was nothing if not punctual.

 

When he had walked into his calculus class he was pleasantly surprised. There, scribbling madly on a few sheets of paper sat the current occupant of his thoughts.

 

Hiro Hamada.

 

His mistake had probably been interrupting Hiro. The moment the name had passed through his lips. Hiro's movements completely skid to a stop. He had snapped his head up to look at Tadashi so fast that he was momentarily worried the kid had pulled something.

 

"T-Tadashi?"

 

So the genius did know his name. That had to mean something good, right? Looking down at the table, he managed to catch a peek at what Hiro had been so furiously working on. Were those rocket boots...?

 

Grinning Tadashi glanced back up at Hiro feeling ecstatic. Robotics! Yes, he could definitely work with robotics.

 

Perhaps he wasn't meant to see the designs because not even a second later Hiro was shoving the papers into his bag looking around awkwardly. The pages wrinkling loudly in protest for such rough treatment. Suddenly feeling guilty Tadashi shifted, making his way around the corner of the desk to take his seat.

 

They didn't speak much in calculus. Throughout the period everyone had been independently completing the review. And being the first day of a college course no one had bothered to ask for help or even make the slightest bit of conversation.

 

The liveliest part of class had probably been the beginning when the professor had asked if he and Hiro were brothers. And honestly Tadashi hadn't even thought about it seeming that way until the professor had pointed it out.

 

Hiro had immediately denied it outright while he was still processing the idea.

 

He was apprehensive when Tadashi had tried to smile at him, turning away and picking up a pencil as though nothing had happened.

 

In the end of that class, Hiro had picked up his things and sped walked out the door. So yes, he was officially back at having made zero progress.

 

But a third time was the charm, right? Well granted Tadashi didn't think he'd even get a third chance on the same day.

 

He hadn't said a word to Hiro when he had walked into physics. The dread slowly pooling on the other boys face alone was enough for Tadashi to send him an equally uncomfortable smile taking his seat wordlessly. He could barely make out Hiro's unhappy grumbles , but he had heard an annoyed 'unbelievable' slip out in a huffed whisper.

 

They weren't related as far as he knew, but before Hiro could growl out a response to the professor's question he had cut in and calmly explained that no, they weren't related.

 

Looking back, he could see how it probably was confusing. They had a decent age difference for a pair of brothers. Similar hair and eye color. Though it was pure unedited random luck that they shared the same ethnicity. But that one was a bit of a racist stretch...

 

Learning from his past mistakes, Tadashi wasted no time and packed up before Hiro.

 

"I didn't expect to see you again, Hiro."

 

He really hadn't.

 

"That makes two of us." Hiro packed up his things, glancing around at the walls, probably looking for a clock. "Listen. As much as I would _like_ to stand here and talk to you, I have a bus to catch."

 

Hiro didn't even wait for a final response as he shifted the weight of his backpack over his shoulders and left. This time around Tadashi didn't bother try stopping him. He had never been the kind to push when it wasn't necessary. Instead he opted for letting out a defeated sigh and heading home.

 

.

 

Aunt Cass knew something was bothering Tadashi the moment she had heard the front door open and footsteps making their way upstairs towards the kitchen.

 

Call it intuition.

 

"You're home early." She pointed out as she wiped up the counters from her dinner prep. "Dinners gonna be done in a few minutes. Rough first day?"

 

"Hey Aunt Cass." Tadashi smiled. He pulled off his coat to make himself more comfortable. Taking off his cap and setting it down on the counter. "I guess you could say that."

 

"Well you are officially a college boy!" She grinned. Opening a drawer to pull out some utensils. "Oh, your parents would have been so proud of you! I want to hear all about your first day!"

 

Proud... huh...

 

Giving a sad smile Tadashi shook his head to clear his thoughts. There wasn't any reason to be sad about that right now. "Do you need help with dinner?"

 

"Absolutely not." Cass huffed. Turning down the heat on the stove. "You just go take out some plates for us and stay put."

 

Tadashi smiled as he made he was over to the cabinet. Pulling out two clean plates, and carefully walking over towards the dining table.

 

He jumped in surprise suddenly, clutching the plates in his arms to his chest as he nearly tripped. Snapping his head down he let out a relieved breath he didn't realise he had been holding. Letting out a breathless chuckle as fear rolled off of him. "Hey Mochi."

 

"Mochi you darn cat." Aunt Cass scolded as she went around the counter to pick him up out of Tadashi's way. Letting out grunt she moved aside. "You're gonna cause a disaster one of these days."

 

Setting down the plates Tadashi's took the pet from his Aunt's arms. Surprised by the amount of transferred weight. "He's getting really heavy."

 

"Of course he is." Aunt Cass snorted. "Over the summer while you were at school Mrs. Matsuda wouldn't stop feeding him."

 

"Is she still-"

 

"Crazy?" She prompted. Watching as Tadashi put Mochi down. "Yes. But she wouldn't be herself otherwise. You wouldn't believe what she-"

 

Pausing. Aunt Cass watched as Tadashi absentmindedly pet Mochi. There was something distant and contemplating in his gaze. "Tadashi?"

 

"Hm?" Knocked out of his train of thought he stood up guilty. "Sorry Aunt Cass, I got distracted. You were going to say something about Ms. Matsuda."

 

"Did something happen at school?"

 

Cass sighed preparing to listen when Tadashi let out an uncomfortable grin.

 

Bingo. 

 

"Okay." She said seriously, crossing her arms over her chest to emphasize the seriousness she was trying to portray. "Spill it."

 

Pouting Tadshi ran a hand through his hair. Leaning his back against the wall, he watched Mochi circle around his legs. It wasn't even that big of a deal, but he appreciated Cass's sudden inquiry. "I met someone."

 

Oh my god. "Y-You _met_ someone?"

 

"Yeah, but I don't think they like me very much." Or at all really...

 

"What's not to like?" Cass scoffed. Her arms uncrossing from across her chest as she reached up and pulled at Tadashi's cheeks. A move that she had done repeatedly when he was growing up. "You have the Hamada charm."

 

Hamada charm? Tadashi smiled, taking is Aunt's hands from his face and moving them away. "Then in that case, I guess he does too."

 

"What?" _A boy? That’s new._ Well she didn't mind. Tadashi could have been asexual like she had originally thought and she still wouldn't have cared. As long as he was comfortable. Although... This boy had better be ridiculously cute if he was rejecting her perfect nephew. "What do you mean 'he does too'?"

 

"His name is Hiro. Hiro  _Hamada._ " Tadashi emphasized. "Everyone seems to thinks we're brothers."

 

So... Hiro... How sweet... "Well at least there won't be any arguments about who takes who's last name at the wedding."

 

"Wedding...?" Tadashi frowned. Why would...? What?

 

_Oh, wait._

 

Did she think- His eyes widened in realization as blood rushed to his cheeks, spilling color onto his face with the force of a billion suns. "I-I didn't mean it like that Aunt Cass!"

 

"Oh honey I was only teasing." She laughed.

 

"No- About Hiro." He rambled. "I don't- I- We _just met_ , and he _hates me_. Plus Hiro’s only sixteen."

 

"Sixteen? And _in college?_ ”

 

“He’s a prodigy.” Tadashi added. “Apparently, Professor Callaghan admitted him.”

 

“Well even so, I’m sure you're just exaggerating. I'm positive he doesn't hate you." She placed her hands on her hips. Sixteen... Of course Tadashi was drawn to this “Hiro” boy. He was always looking out for people. And who needed more protecting than a kid? "Why don't you bring him around so I can meet him."

 

"I doubt he'd like that." Tadashi sighed. "He runs every time he sees me."

 

“That just means he’s shy.” Aunt Cass sighed. “You’re being too hard on yourself. He’ll come around, you can’t expect him to warm up to you instantly. Besides, it’s the first day. The poor boy was probably nervous. Now. Tell me what he looks like.”

 

Grinning Tadashi straightened up. “He’s got a tooth gap, and really messy hair. Oh, and a button nose.”

 

Aunt Cass smiled softly. Tadashi looked completely _fond_ as he searched around for words. Rambling on about things she couldn't really picture.

 

This definitely wasn’t just a general interest in Hiro, even if that’s what he thought it was.

 

There was no doubt in her mind that Tadashi would befriend the kid. That boy could be really stubborn when he wanted to be.

 

But for now she was excited. Cass couldn’t wait to met the young man who had captured Tadashi’s attention. Even if he didn’t realise it, Cass knew better. Call it intuition, but her nephew definitely had a little crush on the younger boy.

 

Well, what Tadashi didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does it work? Who wants to tell me that it works??? I'm really awkward with dialogue. Any tips? I started a new story with a different AU, dedicated to some more authors. That one will probably have the slow updates. I've got a thing going with this one. XD 
> 
> Who wants to know who I am on tumblr to harass me with reminders to update and such? I might give my url next chapter. Meh, who knows. I like my mysterious person thing going on.


	5. Miai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Unbelievable!" Hiro snapped. Back in the robotics building. Yeah, yeah, he knew exactly what class he was talking about. "You mean to tell me we have every single class together!"
> 
> He really needed to find a vending machine and get some gummy bears. This couldn't be good for his already skyrocketing stress levels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So like, I got my info on Wikipedia. Always double check and site your sources. 
> 
> HEY TRASHYHENLI, DO YOU SEE ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR ABOUT THIS CHAPTER, HMMM??

He was being followed.

He sweared that if this was another person about to ask him for Tadashi's contact information, he was going to set this whole building on fire.

This would be what? The millionth time today?

Even the two girls from his advanced engineering class yesterday had bothered to hunt him down and ask, well more like harass, him for the guy's phone number. And when he had ever so kindly told them that he was not Tadashi's brother. They had not so kindly threatened to ruin his life. So like any good wing man he gave them the phone number.

The phone number to a local therapist, because they seriously need help.

And not only that, his professors also seemed to have gotten the wrong idea. It had all started in calculus.

 

The old professor had asked if he and Tadashi were related. Which he had immediately denied because he refused to be grouped together with that man anymore than he had too. After calculus he had left the exact second class was out. He had learned from his previous mistake and only took out a pencil. Not bothering to put it back in his backpack as he ran out of there. Leaving the surprised college boy behind.

His next, and final class for that day had been physics. So into the science building he went. Though lord behold, a minute before that class had even started there walked in the root of his despair, Tadashi freaking _Hamada_.

He had strategically run out of that class too. Well actually, Tadashi had managed to say a few words to him before he muttered some excuse about the bus and bailed himself out. It wasn’t exactly a lie. He did have to actually catch the bus.

 

It had only been a day and Hiro had already done the most running he had ever done in his life.

When Hiro had gone home last night the first thing he did was go through every family photo album and important document to make sure that he wasn't related to Tadashi in any way, shape or form. When his parents had come home from work with takeout he confronted them over the dinner table. Neither his mother or his father recalled a relative with that name. And then they had the _gall_ to tell Hiro that maybe he should befriend him.

No way in hell.

Realistically Hiro knew he wasn't related to Tadashi, But still, he was beginning to get paranoid.  

Especially when everything seemed to be going fine. This morning at around nine thirty when he had gotten off the bus and into his ten o'clock graphic arts class, he was wholeheartedly pleased when he didn't see Tadashi sitting in his assigned seat like a model student. As it turned out, he didn't have Tadashi in that class. Was it weird that he had been listening really closely as role was being called? Well whatever. He had found out what he'd wanted.

Otherwise he would have accused the guy of planning something against him.

Which lead him to his current problem.

Turning the corner of the empty hallway into the English department Hiro could tell that whoever was following him wasn't gonna go away. Are people really this desperate? Thank god he wasn't popular. How did he even get into this mess?

"For the last time..." Hiro growled, stopping in his tracks. Fist clenched tightly at his sides, and his posture tense. His shoulders hunched ever so slightly inward from his pent up irritation. This whole thing was getting really annoying. "I'm not Tadashi's brother! If you want his stupid phone number that bad, just go ask him yourself!" Swinging around he turned to give this creep a piece of his mind. "Quit-!"

Oh... no...

"Phone...num-?" Confused and looking a bit startled the 'creep' stopped walking a short distance behind him, Tadashi frowned immediately concerned. "Have people been asking you for my phone number?"

He had to be dreaming...

"You-" Hiro couldn't believe this. "You're stalking me?!"

"Stalking?" Taken aback Tadashi let out a breathless laugh as he toyed with the strap of his satchel. "I could say the same thing about you Hiro."

About _him?_

Hiro Hamada was many things, but a stalker? No way. "I get to class before you do. That means you're the one doing the stalking _pal._ "

He always knew there was something wrong with Tadashi. He was too perfect to be normal. Apparently the guy was a grade A stalker. That would probably cause some people to back off. Not that anyone would believe him.

Letting out a small chuckle Tadashi shifted, raising his hand to clasp the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess that would make me the stalker then wouldn't it..."

Of all the people-

"But I'm not stalking you Hiro." Tadashi quickly corrected. "I'm on my way to class. I promise."

Class? That would mean- No. There were plenty of other classes in this building. He was getting ahead of himself.

"What class?" Please, _please..._ Don't say research paper...

"Uh..." As though sorting through his mind he hesitated. A slight questioning tone in his reply. "Research paper."

You've gotta be kidding me... Exasperated beyond belief Hiro resisted the strong urge to swear a load of profanities. "What class do you have after that?"

"I thought you just said you weren't a stalker?" He joked.

_For the love of-_ "Just, tell me."

Confused and probably a bit apprehensive Tadashi continued. "I have the history of robotics back in the-."

"Unbelievable!" Hiro snapped. Back in the robotics building. Yeah, yeah, he knew exactly what class he was talking about. "You mean to tell me we have every single class together!"

He really needed to find a vending machine and get some gummy bears. This couldn’t be good for his already skyrocketing stress levels.

"Wait-" Tadashi smiled, amusement shining through his eyes. "You're...” A surprised laugh. “We really... Ha." Straightening his back Tadashi shifted. His shoulder brushing the white wall beside him. He was grinning happily looking as though he had just won something. "That means we're going for same major."

I'm not going anywhere if you're there.

He couldn't believe this. He was right, Tadashi wasn't just smart. He was a _nerd._ A robotics major? Why couldn't he have been going into medicine or modeling even and give everyone else a chance at success.

Well if he had just magically 'won’, then Hiro had just lost.

 

"And technically, we have five out of six classes together." He grinned.

Stupid, cocky jerk.

Don't laugh! Frustrated Hiro turned back around, speed walking his way towards class. He didn't have time for this. He needed to get to class.

Having every other day with Tadashi he could handle, seeing him everyday of the bloody week? He could absolutely not.

He was sure the older boy would try and befriend him no doubt solidifying the idea that they were related somehow. He would never hear the end of it! Goodbye freedom, hello stalkers!

"Hey!" Tadashi followed after him. His long legs giving him the advantage as he caught up to him fairly quick, easily keeping pace with Hiro.

Unfair.

"Quit following me." He honestly did try to speed up his pace without breaking into a full on run. Tried being the key word. Stupid tall people. Glancing around he could see people turning to look at them as they passed by.

They probably looked weird together. He was sure that they looked even more like siblings now. If this is what Tadashi was like with strangers two years younger than him. Hiro pitied his actual siblings. That is, if he had any.

"That's actually kind of hard to do." Tadashi smiled. The tapping of their shoes on the tile reminded Hiro of galloping horses. "Especially considering that we're both headed to the same class... _Again._ "

No kidding. Hiro was currently trying to mentally calculate the probability of this even happening.

 

How could two people who had never met have the same five hand picked classes? That was more than half his whole schedule. The chances were ridiculously small. Practically nonexistent as far as he knew, and he was supposed to be a prodigy!

"It doesn't make sense..." Hiro glared, turning the corner sharply causing Tadashi to lag behind him for a moment.

"It's actually kind of funny how this worked out."

  
  
Funny? Yes, an awkward kind of funny that made up the synopsis of Hiro's entire life.

"But you never did answer my question Hiro."

"What question?" Just a few more feet and they'd be there.

"Are people asking you for my phone number?"

Momentarily slowing down Hiro glanced up at Tadashi. The man had his gaze turned fully on him. His brow was indented inward towards his nose. He looked more like a troubled puppy then a concerned adult. Still, he looked pretty worried... So much for ignoring him. Sighing Hiro slowed his pace.

"Yeah, apparently you wouldn't give it to them _bro_." Hiro joked sarcastically. "So they decided that stalking your _'little brother'_ was a good way of getting to you." That part wasn't exactly a joke. He should probably start looking into restraining orders.

"Bro..?" Hiro almost wanted to laugh at the dumbfounded tint in Tadashi's voice. The realization slowly building in his mind like a slowly inflating balloon. "Oh! _Oh..._ "

Yeah, " _oh..."_

__

What a dork.

"But we're not..." Tadashi awkwardly smiled down at him. He looked guilty and a bit embarrassed.

You think I don't know that? Hiro let out a quick laugh. Really Tadashi was just so... So what? He didn't even think there was a word to describe him. Endearing? Wait. No. Definitely not.

"Hiro?"

Right, conversation.

Glancing up at room numbers as they passed similar large wooden doors. "I know that. But they don't. Not that I don't blame them, we're both Asian kids with the same last name. If I was anyone else, I'd think we were related to."

"But we aren't." Tadashi confirmed. Though Hiro could tell he was questioning himself. No doubt tracing back what he knew about his family in his mind looking unconvinced. "...Are we?"

He was lucky Hiro already reviewed his entire family history. The last thing he needed was a long lost brother, cousin, uncle, what have you. Especially one that he found to be good looking. That would have been problematic, and definitely awkward.

"Not a chance." Hiro scoffed. I wouldn't be able to handle living with a face like yours. Looking over his shoulder Tadashi still looked pretty troubled. Did he think Hiro had actually managed to give his phone number away some how?

Well he could have. If he had hacked into the school systems or taken Tadashi's phone. Yeah, he could definitely do either of those things if he wanted to. But he didn't, hadn't!  And...

Now they had fallen into silence.

Great.

Feeling obligated to keep the conversation going against his will. Hiro forced himself to speak up again.

"I-" Ugh. Why was this suddenly awkward. "I didn't actually manage to give anyone your phone number if you're worried about that." Hiro shifted his hood higher to shield his flushed cheeks. He hated being directly looked at.

Didn’t Tadashi know to look where he was walking?

Tadashi bit back a grin, quickly replacing the expression on his face with a relaxed smile. He stopped walking as they reached their destination.

 

So this was research paper with Professor Walker.

 

Placing his hand on the door handle he pretended not to notice Hiro's sudden shyness. "No, uh. I wasn't actually worried about that. I was just worried that people were actually following you around."

"Huh?"

Why would-?

"What kind of older brother would I be if I let you get stalked?" That little head tilt thing. Yeah, definitely a health hazard. "The only one who should know where you are, should be me."

...

**_What?_ **

...

The teasing smile sent his way, was like a punch to the gut. Hiro had worked with enough electrical material that he knew his brain had just instantly short circuited.

What the _heck?_

The faded flush on his cheeks quickly morphed into a full out burn without his consent.

What was he the sun!? Who gave him the right to give people heat strokes?! Someone duct tape his mouth, He couldn't handle this!

“Just kidding.”

Smiling jokingly while looking unembarrassed and far too casual for Hiro's liking, Tadashi opened the door and stepped into the classroom. Leaving the door propped open as he headed towards the professor to find his seat, technically their seats. Hiro always sat to the left of him considering their first names.

_A joke..?_

What kind of joke was that?! A joke is a terrible pun, or a knock knock, who's there? Kind of situation. That wasn't a joke! That was attempted murder! The confession of a stalker! And maybe he just had a dirty mind or whatever, but it sounded strangely... _i_ _ntimate._ And he wasn't okay with that. At all.

Still burning red and horribly dumbfounded Hiro could only watch as the female professor pointed out into the lines of seats as Tadashi spoke to her.

Frowning and willing away his blush he trudged his way over to his seat before Tadashi could end his conversation.

Glaring at anything in his line of vision, Hiro calmed down his flustered nerves. It wasn't even a compliment, why was he blushing? He wasn't anymore, but the fact that Tadashi had managed to catch him off guard annoyed him. He was supposed to be playing it cool, he was supposed to be indifferent.

Thinking about it now, it his was all _his_ fault.

Hiro crossed his arms over the table dead set on drilling holes into Tadashi's head with his eyes.

What a stupid nerd.

He hadn't even realized that Tadashi wasn't wearing his cardigan today. He just had on a plain red t-shirt outlined in black along the seams.The material laid out over his fit form perfectly, complementing his muscles but not over exaggerating them. Now he felt self conscious, not that Hiro had ever wanted muscles. But taking a look at himself now he was ridiculously scrawny and practically a stick bug.

Did Tadashi do sports? It would explain a lot if he did. It was just another thing to add to his list of perfect qualities.

Looking back up Hiro quickly snapped his head back down to avoid eye contact with Tadashi. He clearly saw him starting just now, didn't he?

 

Fantastic.

He listened for the sound of sliding as the chair beside him was pulled out and Tadashi took a seat. The bell gave him the confidence to lift up his head to look forward, though he didn't bother to lift himself off the desk.

"Assuming you are all in your appropriate seat. I'll begin class with roll call."

Professor Walker flipped through her clipboard quickly, scanning the header of the page set before her as she began to read.

Blocking out her voice Hiro took interest in doodling absentmindedly on the wooden table with the pink eraser on his pencil.

He glanced over at his side when he heard a quiet chuckle.

"Having fun?"

He frowned at Tadashi's smile, straightening up his posture with a scowl. "Don't laugh at me you nerd."

_"Nerd?"_

"Mr. Hamada?"

Hiro practically jumped out of his seat as he turned to look at the professor.

"Yes?" Tadashi replied, guessing that she was talking to him.

Hiro bit back his response and waited to be acknowledged in the case Tadashi had guessed wrong.

"Mr. Hamada. This is a prestigious university. You cannot bring your child along even if there’s no one to watch over him."

...

...

 

"What."

Hiro would have normally taken the time to make fun of Tadashi's bewildered expression but considering he probably wore the same level of utter confusion. He would have to get back to that later.

  
_"What?"_

Someone please shoot him.

"How old do you think we are?!?" Hiro snapped, his palms unintentionally slamming down onto the hardwood with a slap. He didn't look that young god damn it!

Laughter.

Loud resounding howls of supposed adults. If he didn't know where he was. Hiro would of guessed he was still in high school.

Blushing Professor Walker, yelled at the class to quiet down. She looked annoyed as the laughs died down into amused huffs. Whether she was annoyed at them or at herself was beyond him.

"I-I'm very sorry for assuming your brother was your son."

_Brother?_

She had got to be kidding.

Hiro groaned as he sunk back down into his chair. She wasn't making this any better!

"We're not-!"

"We're not brothers either." Tadashi cut off Hiro's protest. He had done it before, and Hiro did not appreciate it. "But we get that a lot." A good hearted smile on his clearly embarrassed face.

"What then?" A scoff from behind them. "Are you guys married?"

_M-Married?!_ Practically summoning all his blood back towards his face Hiro could feel the annoying burn from earlier return full force.

"Oh! I've heard about that before!" A girl piped up from somewhere to his right. “Miai or was it omiai? Either way, it’s a japanese arranged marriage, kind of. In a way- Except the parents set them up to get to know each other with the intention of marriage. What happens then, or if the chose to marry each other is up to them.”

“But they’re both _guys._ ”

“Oh _grow up_ , how old are you? It isn’t a new thing. ”

Was this seriously happening right now? Glancing over his shoulder Tadashi was a bright pink, looking super uncomfortable. So yes, this was definitely happening.

“But it’s still-”

“Hiro Hamada, _where_ do you think you’re going?” Professor Walker asked, a questioning glare on her face.

Fifteen minutes.

 

It hadn’t even been fifteen minutes and he was already so done with this class. Swinging his backpack over his shoulder he pushed in his chair violently as he stood up and swung around Professor Walker, headed straight for the door.

“ _Mr. Hamada_ , I asked you a question.”

_“Home.”_

“You can’t just-”

“Hiro, what about your next classes?” Tadashi pointed out. His curiosity currently overriding his embarrassment.

Oh please, knowing him. Tadashi would probably end up giving Hiro his missed assignments or something tomorrow morning.

“Ha! They even know each other’s schedule!”

Yup. He was _definitely_ going home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like this chapter was random but my week has been very shitty. As in I burst into tears and had a breakdown kind of crappy week cuz you know, life. I felt like this chapter was rushed but does anyone ever read their own stuff and go, welp this is crap. And then on good days you're like I'M SO TALENTED. I feel like I need a fresh pair of eyes to read my stuff and go yeah this works, or like change this or reword this, before I post anything. Thoughts?
> 
> Oh, and the whole line about Tadashi being mistaken for Hiro's dad was a segment of trashyhenli's AU prompty thingy! Is that a good word for it? Ha, I absolutely loved it and couldn't resist using it, Hope you don't mind! (Sorry!! I love you!)
> 
> ALSO 
> 
> IT TWAS I! ANSATSU-SAN ON TUMBLR !!!
> 
> AHAHAHA.


	6. Mochi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “There is only one requirement.” Craige stopped walking, a smirk tugging at the side of his mouth. “You must work in pairs.”
> 
> And... 
> 
> Not awesome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO'S UPDATING AT MIDNIGHT IN THEIR TIMEZONE. IT'S ME. I made this long cuz the next one is definitely gonna take me a while to get out.
> 
> I have no beta, so update me about mistakes in this or any other chapters past and/or future!! Pls. & Thanks!!

It had to be Craige.

Hiro was beginning to regret ever saying that Craige could possibly be his favorite professor. He had been right when he said Tadashi would give him his assignments the following morning. He had even apologized for embarrassing him, even though it wasn’t his fault.

But that was not the current issue.

Everything had been made out to seem like it was going to be a great day. Up until that moment anyway.

“Seeing as this is an advanced course we will get right into it.” Craige’s deep voice boomed over the students. “I want you all to engineer. In order to not waste my time with trivial lesson plans I need to evaluate where each of you stand.” Crossing his arms behind his back Professor Craige paced the room seriously. His eyes passing over the stoic faces watching him. “There is no real objective in this assignment, you must simply create and construct to the best of your abilities. Your only restraint will be time. I want this assignment completed in three weeks. I don’t care what you build, I don’t care if it’s useful or a simple hammer glued to a trashcan. It must simply of be your own design.”

Quiet murmurs and annoyed huffs waved through the room.

Hiro was honestly excited for this. He couldn’t keep a grin from spilling onto his face. This is exactly what he wanted.

 

Wasting his time and money on being taught what he already knew, this was an amazing opportunity. Ideas and blueprints began designing and forming themselves in his head. His hand tightened its hold around his pencil in anticipation.

 

This was going to be awesome.

“There is only one requirement.” Craige stopped walking, a smirk tugging at the side of his mouth. “You must work in pairs.”

And...

Not awesome.

“Seeing as none of you are willing to socialize with one another, I have decided to make this a cooperative assignment.” He explained. “I’m not asking you to make friends, I’m not asking you to like each other. I’m asking you to _tolerate_ one another. “

Hiro bit back a frustrated groan as he let his forehead collide with the desk. His posture crumpling in on itself as he slouched in his uncomfortable chair.

 

No one here was up to his level of robotics. No one even knew him, let alone would want to work with him. He had done enough ‘cooperative’ assignments to know that no one ever carried their own weight. He didn’t want to have to tolerate anyone.

He could get Tadashi to work with him, but he would probably get swept away the second they were allowed to get started. And plus, Hiro didn't want to work with him. He was already being stalked just for sharing the same last name as him, he couldn't imagine what I'd be like if they actually bothered to hang out.

“Before I became a professor for this Institute, I worked for Krei Tech, as the head engineer of the company. A position no doubt many of you are looking into. In order to be successful you need to learn when to be independant, and when to conform to the ideas of others who you see as less than capable, because more often than not, they are far beyond your expectations.” Craige paused in his speech, saying nothing as he walked back towards the front of his classroom. Moving to stand behind his podium. “You never get to chose your co-workers, and in order to save time you will be working with the student sitting beside you.”

_No..._

It was great that they were being assigned, it saved him the awkward trouble of being left out, but...

Sitting right beside him was...

“If you have any issues with this arrangement for any personal reason you can feel free to speak with me during my office hours. Though, I know you _won’t._ ”

He would beg to differ. Hiro had many personal reasons for not wanting to work with Tadashi. The main reason being, he was _Tadashi._ Don’t get him wrong it was probably the best choice of a partner in this entire class. But still, he would have much preferred some useless jerk.

"That is all I plan on saying today, the rest is up to you all. If you have any questions about your assignment feel free to ask. And before you do. No your project cannot be a hazard to this building or anyone within it."

_Fantastic._

"You may all begin." And with that Craige made his way over to his desk. Effectively ending his lecture for the remaining time of class.

Turning his head towards Tadashi, Hiro stared at him. He tried for a indifferent expression though it probably came out more impatient than anything. Waiting for acknowledgment.

 

He was not going to be one to start this conversation.

Tadashi took in Hiro’s displeased expression as he searched around in his head for a way to go about this situation. He was eager to just jump in to the assignment with Hiro but he didn’t want to to come across as weird. So instead of a long excited ramble he opted for a simple approach.

"It looks like we'll be working together on this Hiro."

Giving a long suffering sigh, Hiro shifted in his chair. His left hand coming up and running through his hair like he’d been working on a complex equation. "Look, we don't have to actually work 'together'. You could just make a design or something. And I'll deal with the rest."

Tadashi blinked owlishly at him. Looking completely taken back with what he'd just said.

... Uh..

Not the response he was hoping for.

"... Is that okay?" Hiro asked awkwardly. Suddenly unsure about the whole idea with the response he’d gotten. "I mean, I could design something and you could build it if you wanted.. I don't really care either way... So..." Giving a uncomfortable hand gesture Hiro waited for Tadashi to respond.

This was already going fabulously.

"You don't want..."

Don't want what? 

 

Don't want to work together?

If that’s what he was saying then no.

 

He didn’t.

 

Hiro huffed, leaning in the slightest bit closer without scooting his chair over. He couldn't hear what Tadashi was mumbling under his breath. If you asked him, he looked kind of rejected, like Hiro had just denied him of something.

Resting his chin on his palm he took to eavesdropping on the other conversations around him to save what little comfort he had. He didn’t do well with silence it made him feel like he had messed up. And Hiro Hamada did not like failure.

Turning back around he flinched at the determined look in Tadashi’s eyes. If he could of Hiro would have told him to stop it. But instead his stared right back defensively. Was there something on his face?

_"Well?"_

Hesitantly Tadashi sat back in his chair and gave him a tentative smile.

"...Why would I want to do that?"

Why would he? Hiro was literally offering him a free A on an assignment. And no one even liked group projects unless Tadashi actually wanted to work with him. Which he strongly doubted was the case.

No one ever liked working with anyone. Even if they're your friends. It's a hassle and realistically one person still pulls most of the weight together while clenching their teeth through a smile.

"Why _wouldn't_ you?"

He didn't like the direction where this conversation had headed.

 

Was Tadashi  going to tell him about the morals of cheating, and the importance of teamwork? If so, nothing was going to stop him from going straight up to Craige and demanding a new partner.

"For starters, you're not the only one with a working brain here Hiro." Tadashi smiled. His dark brown eyes bitter. "I said we were both going for the same major remember?"

Hiro let his hand slip from under his chin and let it rest on the table limply caught by surprise. Why was he bringing that up now? Why couldn't Tadashi just agree to what he was suggesting? It would save them much more time.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

" _Robotics._ I can build _robots_." Tadashi exaggerated. "If I couldn't then I wouldn't be here. I know my way around a lab. If anyone is doing the building, it would probably be me."

_Hold on one moment-!_

__

"Let me get this straight." Hiro frowned. His hands curling into fists on the table. " _You_ think you'd be better at building a _robot_ then _me_?"

The underlying, _"I could destroy you"_ , was clear as day in his tone.

 

If Tadashi wanted to major in robotics, that was fine. Great even, the world needed more selfless scientists. But if Tadashi wanted to believe he was better than Hiro at engineering. He had another thing coming.

"Well, I can't say that for sure. I've never seen you work." Tadashi grinned. A trophy short of looking proud. "But I am pretty confident in my own abilities."

He wasn't going to be so _pretty_ when Hiro punched him straight in the jaw.

Glaring Hiro sat up. His tone hostile with disbelief. Who does he think he is?

"I hate to break it to you _buddy_. But, I've been building bots before you even hit high school. _Trust me._ I know my way around a lab."

"Oh really?" Tadashi bit back a laugh seeing the other boy worked up. "I'd love to see what you can do."

"Oh, _you will_." No way he was having _Mr. Many Talents_ over here show him up. Especially _not_ it robotics. Too much of his life was invested in that.

"Are you sure?"

What kind of question was that?! Of course he was goddamn sure!

"Why wouldn't I be?" He bit out like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well I don't know Hiro. I don't think you'd be able to keep up working with me."

"Ha! If anyone's gonna have trouble keeping up. It's going to be you."

He would gladly challenge Tadashi to a bot match to the death if he had too. This was his _pride_ on the line.

“So you _do_ want to work _together_ then?”

Maybe if he wasn’t so angry Hiro would have noticed the hopeful undertone in the other boy’s voice.

“How _else_ do you think this is going to get done you _nerd_?”

"Great." Tadashi grinned. Standing up he swung his bag over his shoulder. Adjusting his cap so that it rested more comfortably on his head. "Meet me at the Lucky Cat Cafe after school today. We'll get started then."

What?

 

Confused at the sudden change in mood. Hiro looked up at him as he processed the seemingly random request. Where did that come from?

...Lucky Cat Cafe?

Hiro watched as Tadashi made his way around the table his body turned towards the exit. It was only then he realized there was a minute of class left.

"I look forward to working with you Hiro." Tadashi smiled innocently, looking completely pleased with himself. The mischief clear in his dark eyes as he turned and walked out. Blending in the sea of other students, leaving a dumbfounded shell shocked Hiro behind.

Did he...?

He couldn't believe this... Tadashi had just...

He'd been _tricked_.

Slamming his head down into the desk with a painful bang Hiro let out a frustrated groan. Great. Tadashi had tricked him into agreeing to work together. Not only that he had made Hiro agree into meeting up with him. And at a cafe no less.

There were weirder places to meet up, but a cafe? What the heck was that about?

The jerk had even walked out on him before he could say no.

 

How the tables had turned...

Picking up his things Hiro cursed as he walked out of class and out into the hallway.

Great job Hiro. Freaking _brilliant!_

.

The end of his school day couldn't have come faster.

 

While he could have just taken Tadashi’s offer for a ride to the cafe, he had stubbornly refused and gone home.

 

He needed to physically and mentally prepare himself for this, this... study session? Group meeting? Definitely not date, even though it’s in a date kind of setting. Then again he knew absolutely nothing about dates. So his sources were far and few in number. 

 

Bringing up his hands Hiro slapped both his cheeks quickly to knock him out of his train of thought. Though it only succeeded in adding to it’s flush. He was getting sidetracked by his own nervousness.

Okay so maybe Hiro was more than a little nervous.

He had went home and left his things. His parents hadn’t gotten home yet and a part of him was glad to return to a empty house. If they had found out that Hiro was going to be meeting up with some guy from school, totally not friend, they would have surely embarrassed him.

He momentarily wondered if they knew that he’d never been very lucky when it came to socializing.

Either way he was still annoyed with Tadashi. He had tricked Hiro into working with him on this stupid assignment when he could have just as easily done it alone with no help at all. And for what reason? It wasn’t like getting Hiro to work with him would benefit anyone. If anything Hiro’s plan would have benefited Tadashi a lot more. It must be the guy’s boy scout honor or whatever.

Looking down at his steps as he walked down the street Hiro was beginning to make himself sick with all the thinking he was doing.

What were they going to do at the cafe? They couldn’t work on stuff there, unless they just brainstormed ideas but they could have done that anywhere. They could build anything, but would Tadashi be okay with just anything? Hiro had never been good at sharing his ideas, so he couldn’t imagine this going smoothly.

What if Tadashi got frustrated with his stubbornness? He’d probably break off the whole partner thing. And while he was the one who didn’t want to work together in the first place. Being rejected after going through with it was the worst.

Weaving his way past people and stopping at a crosswalk Hiro looked ahead at the building a few feet in front of him.

 

It was a nice place.

 

Mint blue walls that peaked up into a wizard hat and elegant roof. He didn’t know how the owner had managed to paint one side yellow and not make it clash. The small white waving lucky cat sitting above the entrance was cute. He’d always wanted a pet. The windowed rooms above made him feel slightly jealous. His own room was pretty dark and kinda barren because it really served more as a literal sleeping room then a private sanctuary for himself. He was never in there more than a few hours at night. And during that time he was dead asleep. So he really felt no connection to his room. But something about the cafe looked homey.

Crossing the street while momentarily challenging the cars to hit him Hiro took a deep breath as he put his hand on the handle of the wooden door. His eyes scanning the tables quickly through the glass as he pushed the door open taking a quick step inside leaning against the door as he shut it behind him. His palms pressed against the glass.

The ringing of the bell hanging above the door made him wince. He wanted to walk in as quietly as possible. The woman behind the counter was busy chatting with a customer so Hiro slipped away from the door unnoticed. Stiffly making his way over to the corner of the room he avoided eye contact with the other patrons as he scanned the room for Tadashi.

No luck.

The jerk wasn’t even here.

Great. He was here before him. Now if Tadashi showed up and saw Hiro here waiting for him he’d look eager. He was planning on showing up fashionably late to give the impression that he definitely didn’t want to do this. Irritated Hiro found a seat at an empty table shielded from view by the people sitting around him.

Really, he didn’t peg Tadashi as this kind of person. He seemed like the kind of guy who’d show up an hour early if he made plans with someone and wouldn’t even get upset if the other person was late. But then again Tadashi had run in late during the first day of class, so it’s his fault for expecting something of a guy he just barely knew.

Pulling out his favorite red pen from his pocket he reached for a napkin set in the middle of the table. Unfolding the white material out of it neat square he flattened out the four quadrants.

While he was waiting he might as well finish his rocket boot design from earlier. Working carefully as to not tear the fragile tissue he began to draw. Scribbling out sections he knew he could make better and circling key points to remind himself of their importance. In his haste he failed to notice someone walk up behind him, looking down at his design over his shoulder.

“I knew they were rocket boots! That’s amazing Hiro!”

_Holy-!_

Tearing the napkin in half as he gripped it in his hands, he clutched the ruined work to his chest to shield it from the stranger.

 

He stood up at rocket speed shoving the table ever so slightly forward to make room for his legs as he spun around. With a startled yelp, he stepped back. In no way prepared to come face to face with Tadashi. Who was wearing an _apron...?_

“Are you okay Hiro?” Taking a step back himself Tadashi raised his palm to face him, like Hiro was some kind of skittish animal. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“T-Tadashi.” Hiro stared dumbly. Loosening his hold on the napkin. “What-?”

“I-”

“Tadashi?” The women from behind the counter made her way over to them. The curiosity in her eyes pricked his skin as she eyed him. Just barely noticing his presence with the dramatic display he just made. “Who’s this?”

“Aunt Cass.”

_Aunt...?_

Hiro wanted to run out the door as Tadashi gestured over at him. Was this Tadashi’s boss? Was she going to get mad that Hiro had freaked out in the middle of her cafe? “Hiro, this is my Aunt. She owns this cafe.”

“Uh...”

So she’s...

“Hiro...” The woman was staring at him with so much intensity he was sure her eyes were actually magnifying lenses. “So you’re-!” The switch from extreme hardcore judging to excited happiness was instantaneous. Just like the bear hug that came with it. He was already so lost with this entire situation he didn’t know what to do besides just go with it.

His arms were limp at his side as he was pulled forward and swayed back and forth in a rocking motion as Tadashi’s Aunt wrapped her arms around him loving patting his back. “It’s so nice to meet you! Oh, you’re just as cute as Ta-”

“Aunt Cass let him go.” Tadashi cut her off. Fond exasperation in his tone. “You’re crushing him.”

Was he being crushed? His brain was having trouble catching up. One moment he was designing rocket boots for a cat he didn’t own and the next he was yanked into a hug by a complete stranger.

The moment the warm arms unwrapped from his body Hiro took a deep breath. Yup, he was being crushed.

“Well if you had told me he was coming by I wouldn’t have had to find out like this.”

“Sorry, you were busy and it slipped my mind.” Tadashi replied sheepishly. Clasping the back of his neck with his hand.

His Aunt looked like she wanted to say more but a few people had walked in, advising them with the ringing of the bell. “Well you boys go on ahead and do whatever it is you planned on doing. I’ll be here if you need anything.” Smiling she took a step back, seeming almost reluctant to go attend her customers. "It's good to finally meet you Hiro."

Finally?

"Yeah. Nice to meet you too..." I think...

Hiro watched her back as she walked away

Well that was a first...

“I’m sorry about that.” Bringing him back to reality Hiro turned to face him. “Aunt Cass can be really... Physical in her affection.”

No kidding. “It’s fine. I just was surprised...” Well more like scared but she was nice so he didn’t really mind it. “Are you working?”

“Hm?” Looking down at himself like he just noticed what he was wearing Tadashi shook his head. “Oh, yeah. I was helping out while I was waiting for you to show up.”

“Oh...” Shifting on his feet Hiro pushed the table back to it’s original place. “So... um...” Even he knew saying can we just get this over with so I can go home wasn’t exactly a socially acceptable thing in this kind of situation.

Noticing his hesitance Tadashi smiled as he untied the plain green apron from his waist. “How about we head upstairs and get started?” He prompted.

“Yeah. Let’s do that.” Thankful he tried for a half smile but it probably came off as more of a grimace.

“Great.” Leading the way around the register Hiro followed behind him at a safe distance. Waiting as Tadashi set the apron down on the counter before heading towards the stairs.

Looking back at the tables as he climbed up behind him, Hiro sighed. It’s been awhile since he had gone somewhere beside school and his house. Was it always this uncomfortable? He watched his hand sliding against the white railing as the cafe disappeared from his view. When they reached the top Hiro was surprised to see the kitchen.

 

“Do you want anything Hiro?”

Stopping briefly Tadashi motioned towards the fridge

“Ugh.. No thanks. I’m fine.”

“Alright, but if you want something later don’t be afraid to ask.”

“Okay.” He wouldn’t ask even if he was starving and about to die from dehydration.

Headed down a hall and meeting a smaller set of stairs. Hiro followed Tadashi up into what he guessed was the attic.

"Where are we going?"

"My room."

His room?

When he opened the door Hiro realised it was indeed Tadashi’s bed room. The windows he had admired from downstairs had been from Tadashi’s room. That wasn’t weird in the slightest.

"You live here?"

"Yeah. It's just me and Aunt Cass."

Well that explained his meeting choice. He didn't bother to ask about his parents. It was rude and he had caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a shrine walking through the kitchen.  

“Make yourself comfortable anywhere.” He looked back at him. “Sorry if it’s not exactly what you expected.”

So far Tadashi was everything Hiro expected.

 

His room was nice and tidy like it came from a magazine showcasing decorating tips. Not knowing what to do he toyed with the napkin from earlier. Everything felt weird. He didn’t want to touch anything. It was almost like being in a museum.

Not putting Tadashi's encouraging smile to waste he took a seat on the corner of the bed. Watching as he pulled out the seat from the desk and turned it so that they faced each other.

"Alright." He nodded. "We can make anything as long as it's safe. So do you have any bright ideas _Mr. Genius_?

Appreciating Tadashi's attempt to get him to relax he played along. "Well I _did_ until you scared me and I ripped it in half."

Pouting Tadashi leaned back into his chair. "I already apologized for that."

Hiro huffed out a laugh as he leaned back feeling the slightest bit more comfortable. Well he was comfortable until the lump he'd assumed was Tadashi's pillow _moved_ from the corner of his eye.

Letting out a manly yelp. Hiro shot up nearly tripping on the bedpost if Tadashi's hand hadn't reached out and steadied him.

"Woah!"

Hiro struggled to support himself with Tadashi's grip on his elbow as he shuffled behind him.

"Hiro it's okay, calm down!"

Calm down? It was not okay! Something big had just moved and he wanted Hiro to calm down?!

Readying himself for an attack Hiro wanted to cry as the thing wiggled towards the edge of the bed and freed itself.

...

A cat.

A really fat cat.

"Oh, it's just Mochi."

_Mochi?_

Hiro was a hard kick away from killing _Mochi_.

"You have a _cat?_ "

Standing up Tadashi keeled down and picked up the cause of Hiro's terror.

"He's Aunt Cass's." Teasingly he bounced the cat in his arms. "Don't worry he's not gonna attack you."

Well the reverse couldn't be said about Hiro. He was going to set Mochi flyi-

Wait.

That's it!

"Rocket boots!"

"Huh?"

"We'll build rocket boots!" Inspired and motivated Hiro searched his pockets for his pen.

"Rocket boots..." Tadashi thought about it, but seeing how genuinely excited Hiro looked about his idea he couldn't say no. He had managed to get Hiro to agree on working with him, well tricked him into working together. So he was glad the other boy would end up enjoying their little partnership. Plus Professor Craige did say the invention didn't have to be useful... "Alright, we'll do it."

Smirking back at Tadashi’s happy grin Hiro locked eyes with Mochi. The fat orange calico cat blinked innocently at him, letting out a meow that Hiro swore was mocking.

_**  
** Revenge would be sweet._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I try to update every other week but that's not set so don't hold me to that schedule. YOU GUYS ARE ALL SO SWEET AND I WANNA HUG ALL OF YOU!!!
> 
> Side note: Fellow authors, when you look back on your chapters do you ever see the delete story button and get the urge to just go "click". Even though you'd never actually do it cuz your life in in your stories but still, I mean it's like... right there man... So tempting.... Food for thought. ;D


	7. Comfortable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not everyone likes science. 
> 
> That said, Mochi was a horrible test subject.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over the last few days there had been a shit storm on tumblr over the Hidashi blogs. Many people got deleted. This is my "fuck you" to that person. And for everyone else, this is my gift to you for keeping your heads up regardless of haters.

Not everyone likes science.

That said, Mochi was a horrible test subject.  

The first problem was the cat weighed about twice Hiro's own weight, and the second issue was that even though the cat was fat. He was _fast._

Somewhere during the debate about whether color matters in the design. Which it totally does Hiro would like to point out.

The dang cat must have figured out that whatever it was that were doing wasn't going to be fun for him.

And while normally he would have taken the time to comment on the cat's intelligence.

 

This was getting out of hand.

"How can you not catch him? He's _your_ cat!"

To be fair Hiro knew why Tadashi couldn't catch Mochi. The cat, being a cat. Could fit in awkward places that left the task up to Hiro. And he... Well he was small enough to fit in the tight spaces. But he wasn't exactly strong or fast enough. And all the grabby hand motions only made Mochi try harder to escape.

"Behind you Hiro!"

The door. Of course the door was open.

Whirling around on his heel Hiro flung his arm out to slam the door closed with his palm. But Mochi was faster, dashing out through the opening, taking the chance he had.

With a tired groan Hiro wrestled with the doorknob in his haste. Fumbling with the lock until it clicked. He swung it open all but skipping the stairs entirely. Making his way down into the cafe with Tadashi following close behind him.

Remember when he said he'd always wanted a pet? He was having some serious reconsideration.

Hiro was already short of breath just from jogging down the stairs. He was definitely not built for running. Looking over his shoulder he frowned. Tadashi looked just fine. He even looked like he was enjoying this whole mess, if not a little exasperated.

They should have really stopped and come up with a plan of action, but it was too late now. The chase was on.

Seeing the orange cat tail swing behind the cafe counter Hiro whirled around the edge of the marble surface, hitting his hip with a painful bang as he maneuvered his way to the cat.

Mochi leapt towards the far end of the open space. Feeling tired he stayed put. Simply watching closely as Hiro edged closer.

"Hiro wait-"

Wait? Wait for what?

Ignoring him Hiro pressed on. Breaking into a speed walk. Dead set on catching the source of his problems.

"Come on Mochi, I'm not even gonna hurt you-" His shoes let out a sharp squeak as he found himself suddenly leaning forward at a speed that was too quick to be safe. "-Agh!"

"Hey!"

He was falling.

Well, slipping to be exact.

Flailing Hiro grabbed onto anything he could reach trying to stabilize himself. Latching onto Tadashi’s sleeve, he sent the both of them toppling over. The wet tile floor catching him off guard and the sudden force of Hiro’s added weight to his arm set Tadashi off balance.

Tumbling into a mess of limbs Hiro squeezed his eyes shut as his head made contact with the cold floor. The pain was instant and resounding throughout his brain. Clutching the fabric in his hand Hiro curled in towards his fists, pressing his forehead to his clenched knuckles as if it would lessen the pain. Letting out a disgruntled whine, he heard Mochi pounce away.

Stupid, ugly cat.

After a few seconds of questioning his life choices. He decided to move.

Cursing to himself Hiro slowly opened his eyes, he winced at the thumping sting that pulsed on the back of his head. Looking up he really wished that he’d fallen hard enough to knock himself unconscious, because passing out right now was not a good idea.

Staring up at Tadashi’s dark eyes Hiro froze. Too shocked to even let go of his grip on Tadashi’s shirt. Which he knew was part of the reason they were so close. Tadashi had caught himself on his hands but the pain had caused him to place his weight on his elbows to avoid crushing the smaller body below him. The sudden impact with the ground had pulled him down onto his knees. Effectively pinning said younger boy to the ground below him.

Tadashi was just as stiff as he was, staring down at him with an equally shocked expression. Hiro held his breath, scared to even breathe. From this close he could perfectly see the detailed features of Tadashi’s face, but his eyes were rooted in place unsure of what to do other than continue with the staring contest they seemed to be having.

They couldn't have been more than an inch from each others face. Violating every code of personal space Hiro lived by. Tadashi's knees were straddling his small hips.

 

Was he in some kind of bad romantic chick flick? People very rarely fell down like this. But considering his life so far, it was probably more of a tragic comedy.

I mean he got in this mess because of the cat. That had to say something about his people skills.

Tadashi moved first. Breaking the staring contest with a blink as his eyes wandered over Hiro’s face. At the intense gaze directed at him Hiro flushed. Trying his hardest to sink back into the floor.

“What in the world is going on down here?” Cass's voice echoed down the stairs.

The sound of rushed footsteps made Hiro tense. Not giving himself anymore time to think about their position. He jerked his knee up forcing Tadashi to shift back onto his hands with a pained grunt as he was kneed in the side.

To give himself space to escape before Cass made her way down, Hiro quickly flattened out his clenched hands. Untangling them from Tadashi's shirt. Not giving it a second thought he shoved him back roughly. Scooting his body away quickly to put some distance between them.

“Boys?" Peeking over the counter Cass stared down at them puzzled. "What on earth are you two doing on the floor?”

As if caught doing something wrong, Hiro swallowed, awkwardly scooting further away from Tadashi. Looking over at Cass he scowled down at the cat cuddling against her leg.

He was gonna get those measurements. And then he was gonna program the boots to launch Mochi straight into space, so help him-

“Hiro are you okay?” Snapping his head up, Hiro started at the hand being offered to him. Following the length of his arm he focused in on the red tint of Tadashi’s cheeks.

Why the heck was he embarrassed? If anything Hiro should be the one embarrassed. He had been the one to drag him down onto the floor in the first place. Looking back he really shouldn't have ignored Tadashi when he had told him to wait.

Clearing his throat, Hiro's eyes were drawn back to meet the other boys. “I tried to warn you." He give a sheepish smile. "Aunt Cass just mopped up the cafe.”

Well how was he supposed to know that?

Taking the hand offered he let himself be pulled up. Grabbing the edge of the counter as he shifted his weight back onto to his feet. Feeling slightly flustered he coughed to the side to hide his face. Avoiding looking directly at Tadashi.

“What were you two knuckleheads trying to do running around here anyway?” Aunt Cass sighed. Placing her hands on her hips like a disapproving parent. "You could have gotten hurt."

It'd been awhile since he'd last been scolded by an adult other than his own parents.

“We were trying to catch Mochi.” Tadashi sighed, his composure returning. Tiredly clasping the back of his neck with a strained smile. “We just need his paw measurements in order to get started on building.”

“His measurements?” Cass questioned. "What are you boys creating?"

"Cat sized boots." Hiro wasn't going to tell her about the rocket features just yet. So he technically wasn't lying.

"I see..." Cass thought it over. With what Tadashi had told her about Hiro. Cat sized boots didn't seem very... Challenging. She knew her nephew was great at robotics. But together the two should have up with something more innovative. Oh well, it wasn't her place judge. Leaning over Cass slowly up her cat. Lifting up one of its tiny paws out towards them. “Here you go.”

If he hadn't just slipped on wet tiles Hiro would have face palmed at how easy she made it look. With a huff he stepped forward taking out the tape measure had grabbed before rushing downstairs from his pocket.

Mochi eyed him as he extended the tool out to a reasonable length.

Taking the measurements from the suddenly cooperative animal he resisted the urge to brutally murder it. For now at least.

“Finally.” Hiro let out a deep breath. “I’ve got it. I can finish the blueprints on my laptop later.”

Letting out a relieved smile Tadashi leaned back to rest against the counter. Looking as though he had just come back from a war. “Great.”

Aunt Cass smiled as she set Mochi down, content to have helped. The cat immediately walked over to its food bowl as though they hadn’t been chasing him for at least twenty minutes.

Indifferent bastard...

Hiro was definitely getting a dog.

“Once you're done with your project give me those measurements, would you."

“Why?” Tadashi turned to face his Aunt.

“Ms. Matsuda has been dying to make Mochi some little shoes. I just keep forgetting to get the measurements for her.” Turning back towards Hiro. Cass smiled as he shifted in place nervously. Reminding her of a kitten. Not wanting him to feel out of place she called out to him. “Hiro sweety, how long do you plan on staying? Do your parents want you back by a specific time?”

His parents? Eyes widening Hiro suddenly took in his surroundings. It was getting dark and he had just noticed that the cafe was completely and utterly empty. Part of which he was grateful for. He didn't need anyone else to witness his spectacular fall. “Oh...”

He had completely forgotten about time. He hate to say it, and I mean really hated to say it. But it was nice to get out of the house. Spending his time bouncing ideas back and forth with Tadashi was... relaxing.

Raising his brow Tadashi straightened up. “Do you have a way to get home Hiro? I could give you a ride if you wanted.”

And have Tadashi know where he lived? _No thank you._

Patting his pockets for his phone Hiro deflated. Great. He had left it in his backpack, which he just so happen to also leave at home. His parents were gonna kill him. No doubt they were worried about him. He didn’t tell them where he was going, and if he was right, they knew he didn’t have friends so they probably were thinking the worst.

Digging deeper into his pocket he pulled out his bus pass. Thank god... He wasn't stranded.

“No thanks. I’m gonna take the bus.” Flashing the detailed card up between two fingers he dusted off his arm.

“Are you sure you don’t want something to eat Hiro? You could stay for dinner. I just finished preparing it. There’s enough for three.” Cass offered kindly.

How could he say, no thanks. You guys kind of make me uncomfortable, and I don’t want to offend you with my picky eating. Nicely? 

Considering she was the owner of a cafe he wasn't calling her out on her cooking. But Hiro ate like a bird. Tearing pieces of food here and there. Only eating parts that looked appealing at the time.

“Ugh...” Pretending to think it over even though he had already decided he looked over at Tadashi for help. It wasn't that he couldn't speak for himself. But it was more that he didn't know how he was supposed to speak to Cass. His usual sarcastic tone probably wouldn't cut it. 

As though reading his mind Tadashi intervened. “Maybe another time Aunt Cass, Hiro probably needs to get home. It’s getting pretty late, so I’ll walk you to the bus stop.”

“No, you don’t need to do that.” He protested. “It’s fine. You guys can go eat dinner. I’ll just let myself out.”

“At this hour? Hiro it may not be so late but it’s not a good hour to be walking around alone.”

If she knew the hours Hiro had spent alone roaming the streets to kill time when his parents were out on business trips, she would probably throw a fit.

“No really, it’s-”

“It’s not a problem at all Hiro. Now come on, let’s go before you miss the bus.” Tadashi interrupted him as he checked the time on the clock next to the stairs. "It's not far, we'll make it if we leave now."

But it was a problem. “Really, you don’t-”

Laughing softly at the raven haired boy's troubled expression. Aunt Cass placed her soft hands on his shoulder urging him towards the door. "He's not gonna give up you know. Tadashi's pretty stubborn when he wants to be. It was nice meeting you Hiro. I hope you'll come back soon."

She would have loved to have had him stay but if he wanted to leave. She couldn't obligate him to do anything. But she could make sure he would be sent home safely. And that's what she going to do.

Unbelievable...

 

Defeated, he gave up. Seeing no other way out of this arrangement. He gave Cass a small smile as he headed towards the exit he stopped for a moment where Tadashi was holding the door open for him.

"Yeah, it was nice to meet you to."

Zipping up his coat Tadashi called back into the cafe, stepping out after Hiro. "I'll be back in a second Aunt Cass."

Waving back at Cass through the window Hiro looked out at the cars passing by. Stuffing his hands in his pocket as he lead the way in the direction of the bus stop. Waiting for the bell on the door to ring as it closed shut before he moved.

The breeze was nice against his skin. He didn't realize that it was actually pretty cold outside. The cafe had been really warm. Plus running around had risen his temperature so the wind was welcome.

Watching his steps line up with Tadashi's he spoke up to break the silence. It wasn't going to be a long walk. But the silence would have dragged it out to an unbearable distance.

"You really don't have to do this."

"I know." Tadashi smiled. Looking down at Hiro. The light of passing cars swiping over his features before coloring the walls. "I wanted to."

Shifting his hood Hiro looked away blinded by his kindness. What was he some kind of gentlemen? Scratch that. Tadashi was a complete and total gentleman type of guy. Still, he didn't need to be walked to the bus stop. He was perfectly fine on his own. And it was cold outside, so he really didn't need to walk outside just to see Hiro off. They weren't even _friends_. Was he really that selfless?

"Are you even for real..."

"Huh?"

Looking up at Tadashi, Hiro relaxed. Swiping a hand through his tousled hair as he looked forward. Stepping aside to let a stranger pass. "Look, I don't even know how to say it..." Scrunching up his nose he hesitated. It didn't sound mean, at least not to him. So he just said what he was thinking. "You're just so weird... I don't get you."

A surprised laugh assured Hiro that he hadn't offended anyone. Tadashi grinned. Glad that Hiro was actually bothering to make an effort to speak with him without some kind of promoting. "Says the guy who ran away from me for the first week of school."

"Okay first of all, _you_ followed _me_." He defended himself. If he was completely honest no one was following anyone. It was purely luck that they had the same kind of schedule. But still, somehow he knew it was Tadashi's fault.

"Right, right." He teased, tempted to reach over and ruffle Hiro's wild hair just to see what his reaction would be. "It's just that my arranged fiance wouldn't give me the time of day no matter what I did."

As though physically assaulted Hiro recoiled. His cheeks on fire as he snapped. "Well maybe if you weren't such a nerd you'd have better luck."

"That doesn't make sense."

"Shut up!" He growled getting defensive. "I'm not even your fiance!"

Laughing again Tadashi grinned. "Sorry, sorry." Raising his hands up in a pacifying gesture. He let Hiro calm down. Looking at the different buildings they passed.

"That class is a mistake... You'd make a terrible fiance."

"They meant well." As nice as ever Tadashi smiled, turning back to look at him. After he heard Hiro's annoyed grumble. "I think I'd be an okay fiance."

"Oh really?"

Tadashi said nothing for a minute. Collecting his thoughts. "I'm not the greatest person, but I think that I would still try my hardest to keep my partner happy. Even if it's arranged, I think giving someone a chance and making them feel comfortable is the right thing to do."

How... Nice... Not that Hiro would be voicing his opinion anytime soon.

Taking a few steps Tadashi continued. "Plus a relationship doesn't depend on physical attraction. I'm not very attractive physically, but I'd try to make it up for it with my personality... You'd probably be a better candidate as a fiance then I would be."

What? A scoff made it's way from his mouth. Him? _Really?_ "You've got to kidding."

"Why would I be?"

Startled at the honest seriousness of Tadashi's tone. Hiro looked up at him curiously.

"You're smarter than I am that's for sure. Plus just working with you today, you're a really great person to spend time with. With everything you know about robotics, you could change the world and help a lot of people. And besides."

Heart pounding Hiro could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks at the award winning smile sent his way.

"I personally would love to have you as my fiance. That's gotta count for something right?"

That was unexpected and unwelcome in every way possible. 

 

"No." He bit out. How could he just have said that with a straight face? Hiro couldn't help but feel embarrassed _for him._ "Stop."

That was all too much. This was so ridiculous.

"Hm?"

"Stop, just stop. You've made your point." It took all of Hiro's resolve to not just stop and sit on the ground. He was going to need a few minutes to recover from this blow.

Forget okay fiance. Tadashi would be the best fiance in the world. A relationship doesn't depend on physical attention, yeah okay. But honestly. Who wouldn't be attracted to him? The guy didn't even think he was very attractive. What the hell?

"You don't seriously think that."

"Think what?" Tadashi blinked oblivious to Hiro's thoughts.

"No, never mind." Hiro sighed. His fingers awkwardly messing with the fabric on the inside of his pockets. "I bet you save kittens from trees."

"Of course I do."

Whether he was joking or not it didn't really matter to him.

" _Unbelievable._ "

Skipping over the cracks on the sidewalk Hiro let the conversation fall into a comfortable silence. The zoom of the passing cars taking his attention. He had always liked San Fransokyo in the later evenings. Lights from signs and billboards covered the streets, illuminating them with bright colors throughout the night.

Momentarily smiling to himself Hiro couldn't help but feel the least bit flattered. Even in the weird teasing context that the conversation had come about. He felt genuinely happy. He had been complimented on his intelligence more times than he could count. And sometimes they weren't even intended to be received as compliments, yet no one had ever just told him that he himself was great. It was a nice feeling.

Looking ahead Hiro realized that they were a few feet from the bus stop.

Stopping near the bench Hiro shifted on his feet. Suddenly unsure of what to do. He had always rudely left people without a word. Suddenly being seen off like this, he wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it.

Running a tentative hand through his hair Hiro flinched as he accidentally pressed on the warm bruise slowly forming on the back of his head.

Tadashi frowned as he looked down at Hiro, concern in his gaze. “Is that from...?”

“Yeah, it’s just a bruise.” Hiro said continuing to poke at the injured area. Looking out towards the cars. Spotting what looked like the bus in the distance.”Uh... I’m sorry for making you fall earlier...I um.. panicked.”

“No.” Tadashi sighed, his breath coming out as a puff of air in the cold. "I should have warned you when we went down the stairs."

"It's fine. It doesn't even really hurt." Plus Hiro had practically kicked Tadashi off of him so that must of hurt more than this.

"Can I see it?"

What? See it? It was dark out, and Hiro didn't think Tadashi would be able to see it in this lighting. Though he was looking at him expectantly, so he had no choice but to answer.

"O-okay?"

Slowly Tadashi brought up his hand up towards the top of Hiro's head. Gently threading his fingers through his hair and tentatively pressed a small amount of pressure on the warmer part of Hiro's head.

Meanwhile Hiro did his best not to move. Focusing all his strength on staring at the upcoming bus which he tried to teleport so that it would to appear next to him with his eyes.

"Does it hurt when I do this?"

The smallest amount of pain was felt where Tadashi currently had his finger. But not enough to cause a fit over. With this amount of gentle care he was sure Tadashi could be a doctor if he wanted. Which would be fine because Hiro had never liked doctors to begin with.

"Not really.”

He was relieved to see the bus appear over the hill. Pulling back he smoothed out his own hair. Momentarily happy that the dark was hiding his blush. The last time anyone had fussed over his injuries Hiro was in elementary school and had carelessly tripped over the mountain of science books he had gotten from his dad’s shelf. His mom had rushed over at the sound of tumbling and had patched him up. Kissing his small bruises no matter how much he had insisted that he was okay.

“Are you sure you’re fine?”

Tadashi was looking down at him with a sympathetic expression. Probably contemplating whether or not he could do anything about a bruise. But injuries like that just take a few days and he’d be fine.

“I’m fine.” Rolling his eyes, Hiro stepped back as the bus pulled up against the curb. The lights illuminating their surrounding with a yellow hue. Preparing to hop on Hiro fished out his pass from his pocket, jumping up onto the step. About to board on he turned to give one last comment. Giving a toothy smirk he turned to face Tadashi. “Geez, it’s like you’re my brother.”

Giving a displeased grunt Tadashi reached up and flicked his forehead.

“Ow!” Hiro stumbled back as he brought his hand up to shield himself, rubbing the area to get rid of the feeling. “Wh-”

“See you later _knucklehead._ ” Putting his hand back into his pocket Tadashi stepped back. Hearing the the air pressure release on the side of the door, Hiro took a few more steps up into the vehicle. Handing the pass to the driver while looking back over his shoulder. Hiro offered up a lame half wave and the smallest amused huff.

“Later, _nerd._ ”

 

Maybe.

Just maybe.

This project wouldn't be so bad. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like adding random fluff, maybe it's out of place but eh. You can't ignore someone forever. Yay for interaction and relationship building! XD


	8. Thanks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Cold medicine?" Aunt Cass questioned as she prepared to head back down now that Tadashi had come up. "What do you need it for? Are you not feeling well?"
> 
> "No, I'm fine. It's for Hiro." 
> 
> "Hiro?" Aunt Cass blinked as she turned towards the staircase just as the prodigy pulled himself up with the help of the railing.
> 
> The boy in question frowned with distaste as Tadashi went over to a cupboard and pulled out a green liquid syrup. Pouring a measured amount into a small plastic cup. He really didn't want to take that. He didn't come here for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha... I should be doing so much homework right now... Aha...ah... (-__-'')

It was bad.

Awful, horrible, terrible, and just plain stupid.

Who in the right mind caught a cold on a Monday?

Over the past two weeks he and Tadashi had finished the majority of their project. The only thing left to do now was the coding. It wouldn't have taken this long to finish if Hiro had just pulled an all nighter, but as it was he and Tadashi had divided up the work equally.  

Like any group project they took _far_ too many breaks to just relax and talk. The talking part wasn't as bad as before. He wasn't as uncomfortable with starting up a conversation. And he had found that Tadashi, not only disgustingly handsome, actually knew what he was talking about.

Granted he knew Tadashi wasn't dumb but he didn't actually think the older boy would be able to match up with him academically. They worked well together.

Not that he would ever say that to anyone. Especially not when he had been initially tricked into this partnership.

He still needed to get Tadashi back for that.

But as of right now, he had other things to worry about. Pulling his hoodie up to cover his nose, Hiro glared at everything that he passed on his way to the cafe. He hadn't gone to school today, but he'd rather die than not pull his weight on this assignment.

His mom had told him to stay home which he had no qualms about doing. But after about eight hours of consecutive coding in bed without being able to find his mistake Hiro needed help. He shuddered as his hands froze from being exposed to the cold. His fingers red as he tightened his grip on his small red laptop he was carrying. Drawing the device closer to his chest to preserve warmth.

He had been, and still was extremely frustrated with his own inability to finish this. It wasn't the first time he had made a mistake, but the added sickness made everything that much harder.

His nose hurt from the rough texture of all the tissues he had gone through today alone, and the chilled wind made his eyes water even more than they already were. His head pounded with the steady rhythm of a drum, but stung with the sharp force of a hammer.

Crossing the street Hiro longed for the wave of warmth that the cafe offered. He hoped Cass would take pity on him and not try to socialize with him. All he needed was for Tadashi to take a look at his code and he'd be gone.

Restraining himself from kicking the door open, Hiro instead yanked the handle with more force than strictly necessary. He was sure that he'd startled the customers seated near the entrance. The bell above the door made Tadashi look up from behind the register surprised. He didn't see Cass, so he guessed she was upstairs while Tadashi took care of the place.

"Hiro-"

Not up for explaining himself Hiro marched up to the counter, practically tossing his laptop down onto the table as he shoved it towards the other boy. His socially awkward manners that he had kept up so far vanished along with his energy.

"Code. _Fix it._ "

Taking the laptop in his hands Tadashi set it aside looking concerned as Hiro took a seat in front of him. The smaller boy crossed his arms on the surface, closing his eyes as he buried his face in his arms as the room thawed his hands. The normally delightful smell of baked goods and coffee was making him nauseous.

"Hiro, are you okay?" Careful and worried he could sense Tadashi looking down at him. "Where were you today?"

"Home."

"Are you sick?"

Was Tadashi's voice always this annoying? He just wanted to sleep while the guy checked over his code.

_"Hiro?"_

Hiro grunted to assure the other boy he was still listening. He didn't want to sit up and explain, resting like this dulled the pain in his head.

Tadashi sighed as he reached out and put his hand on Hiro's forehead. Pushing up his wild windswept hair as he checked his temperature. Hiro tensed but let him do it. He wasn't up for protesting today. And Tadashi's warm hand felt nice against his cold skin.

"You're burning up!" Tadashi pulled back. Watching as Hiro shifted to get comfortable. "Did you _walk here?_ "

Hiro walked here, walked home, technically walked to school, usually regardless of the weather or time. It was honestly no surprise he was sick but he didn't want to be lectured right now. Plus Tadashi didn’t even know how far Hiro had walked from his house. He was on the bus for more than half of the way here. The up and down bounce of the seats really did nothing for his current mood.

Irritated Hiro forced himself to sit up. "Look, _I'm fine._ It's just a cold I'll get over it. I'm not seven."

"You still shouldn't be walking around while you're sick. Even if it is just a cold." Tadashi said as he pulled off his apron hanging it up on a peg as he picked up Hiro's laptop. "Come on, let's head upstairs and get you some medicine."

"Tadashi-" He didn’t want to move anymore.

Not giving Hiro time to come up with a rebuttal he gestured for the teen to follow him, already making his way upstairs. The computer secured safely under his arm.

Groaning Hiro slipped off his chair, dragging himself up the stairs. He could hear Tadashi talking to Cass as he reached the top. His footsteps were slow and most of his weight rested on the railings.

"Aunt Cass do you know where the cold medicine is?"

"Cold medicine?" Aunt Cass questioned as she prepared to head back down now that Tadashi had come up. "What do you need it for? Are you not feeling well?"

"No, I'm fine. It's for Hiro."

"Hiro?" Aunt Cass blinked as she turned towards the staircase just as the prodigy pulled himself up with the help of the railing.

The boy in question frowned with distaste as Tadashi went over to a cupboard and pulled out a green liquid syrup. Pouring a measured amount into a small plastic cup. He really didn't want to take that. He didn't come here for this.

"Hiro, I didn't know you were stopping by." He stood still as the woman walked over to him. Her soft hands reached up and cupped his cheeks, she hunched her shoulders getting eye level with him. "Oh sweetie... You poor thing. You're really burning up."

"I'm okay, honest." Hiro stepped back. He wasn't sure how he felt about being fussed over by people he wasn't related to. Let alone by a classmate he didn't even really consider a friend. They weren't strangers either, so...

Acquaintances? Yeah, that worked.

He needed to invest some money in acting skills, because the world chose that moment to call him out on his lie with a sharp sneeze. His eyes began watering as he tried to hold back more.

"Yeah right." Tadashi scoffed, walking over towards the couch, expectantly waiting for Hiro to walk over towards him as he set down the laptop. "You look terrible."

_Gee, thanks._

“We can’t all be perfect.” Hiro muttered looking down in surprise as something soft pressed up against his leg. “Mochi?”

The fluffy demon meowed in response. After two weeks he and the cat were on speaking terms. Mochi had grown on him and he guessed the cat liked him. Unless this was just pity, which at this point he didn’t care.

“Hiro, take it easy okay?” Cass said as she leaned down and pet the cat. “Tadashi there are cough drops and painkillers in the top shelf of the bathroom. Tissues are in the bottom drawer.”

“Got it.”

Hiro gave up trying to stop them. His throat was beginning to get dry and scratchy. Exasperated he trudged over to the couch, plopping down onto the cushions and sinking back into them. He just wanted sleep.

"I'll be downstairs if you need anything." Cass called back as she made her way downstairs. The sound of the bell above the door summoning her into the cafe.

"Thanks Aunt Cass." Tadashi smiled as he turned his attention back to Hiro. His dark eyes looked him up and down, evaluating him like a doctor, but with the concern of a parent.

Actually, through his blurry gaze Tadashi didn't really remind him of a parent. There was something else hiding in his eyes that made Hiro uncomfortable, but it wasn't unpleasant.

Kindness? No, that wasn't it. It was something else. But he couldn’t think of anything else right now. Well, it wasn't bugging him so whatever.

Flickering his gaze down at the medicine Tadashi was holding out towards him Hiro's nose scrunched up at the smell. "I don't want that. I'm not a kid you know."

"Sorry Hiro." He sounded teasing but looked apologetic as he set the bottle down on the table. "But you really should have thought about that before you walked here. And besides you do know, adults don't complain about taking medications."

Scowling Hiro took the cup. Trying not to think about it as he prepared to take it all in one go. "Shut up."

Letting out an amused chuckle Tadashi took a seat beside him as Hiro leaned his head back and drank the gross medicine. He coughed as the fluid ran down his throat."How did your parents even let you just leave in your condition?"

"They're busy." _Always_ busy. "Plus I can take care of myself."

He knew his mom would have stayed home and looked after him if he had just asked. He could see her mothering nature shine through her eyes at the idea of leaving him alone _again._ But they were in the process of planning another business trip for their firm. He didn't want to be a burden, not after all the grief and worrying he had caused them growing up as a child prodigy. His dad had ruffled his hair as he packed up his files, giving him a few dollars to order food in the likely case they were late. He was used to eating alone.

His mom hesitated. Clearly unsure about leaving to work. To calm her nerves Hiro let out a smile, joking about her age and her unnecessary need to baby him. When she laughed Hiro knew he had succeeded in lessening her guilt. She kissed his cheek lovingly. Telling him to rest up. He told her he would, watching as she soon followed after his dad.

Hiro stayed silent on the couch. Simply watching as Mochi jumped up onto the couch and curled up on his lap. The weight and comfort was welcome as he toyed with the cats fur between his fingers absentmindely.

It didn't hurt as much anymore to be left alone. When he was much younger he had always cried after his parents had left to work, he was lonely and clingy whenever he was sick. But he grew out of it when he realized that jobs in business required a lot of time and his parents couldn't stay when he needed them.

Noting Hiro's sudden change Tadashi leaned over and pulled Hiro's red laptop onto his lap. "You needed my help with coding right?" Tadashi reminded him softly. Smiling down at his cat, before directing the kindness towards Hiro. Opening up the device as he shifted closer to the smaller boy. "Wanna tell me about it?"

Hiro nodded as he got comfortable, he started to explain what he had been working on and how he couldn't find out why the code wasn't working when he tested it out. He recalled the moment he had nearly snapped his laptop in half out of frustration. Rambling on about numbers and systems as Tadashi listened patiently. Nodding and asking questions as Hiro's voice slowly got softer and more sluggish.

The medicine began to take effect. Hiro felt himself drift off, his shoulders slumping as his eyelids got harder to control. Bring his knees up towards himself he could feel himself swaying to the side. Mochi moved from his lap and opted for curling up at his side. The sound of Tadashi's fingers typing away was soothing as he closed his eyes. Letting the fatigue and tired state he was in take over. The last thing he remembered was his cheek making contact with something warm but solid, and the sudden lack of typing fingers.

 

.

Waking up is, and always has been, a mistake that he makes everyday.

Yawning Hiro turned in towards the warmth beside him. Burying his head into what he was leaning against as though trying to hide in it. The fact that he wasn’t laying down didn’t settle in until he realized that whatever it was that he was leaning on, was shifting to accommodate him.

Confused and drowsy Hiro straightened up, pressing the palm of his hands against his eyes to rub away the lingering effects of sleep. Blinking a few times Hiro turned to take in his surrounding.

This wasn’t-

“Did you have a nice nap, knucklehead?”

Smiling and a little teasing Tadashi straightened up now that he could move. Hiro’s laptop was set down on the coffee table in front of them.

Wait.

No... Did he-?

“I-” If his pulse sped up any faster Hiro was sure he was going to passout. Either his fever had returned with a vengeance or he was blushing. Hiro really preferred to tell himself the latter. “I-I’m sorry!”

Tilting his head to the side Tadashi blinked at him in confusion. “What are you sorry for?” Raising his hand he pressed the back of his palm to Hiro’s forehead. Suddenly concerned about the dark redness in the other's cheeks. “Hiro, you’re-”

“No, it's okay, stop.” Hiro pulled back. Struggling to will his blush down. “Just- Sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

Letting out a short laugh Tadashi grinned. Maybe it was the way the sun shined through the window but Hiro thought that Tadashi’s own cheeks looked a little flushed as well. “It’s okay, I didn’t mind. Are you feeling better?”

“Y-yeah.” Hiro stood up. His stomach turning and nerves tingling. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Tadashi said as he stretched his arms, leaning over and handing Hiro his laptop. “I found the mistake. It was really small and I fixed it in a few minutes. Everything should work fine now.”

“Really?” Hiro let out a relieved breath. Glad to let Tadashi change the subject. “Now I just have to put it on a chip and we can't test it out.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“Huh?”

“Here.”

Confused Hiro looked down as Tadashi pulled out a small purple chip from his pocket labeled with Hiro’s name. “When did you...?”

“When you were sleeping. I didn’t want to bother you, plus I had the time.” Tadashi smiled as he placed the chip in Hiro’s hand. “All we have to do now is run it.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Hiro muttered looking down at the chip in his hand. He didn’t know what emotion he was feeling, but he did know that Tadashi Hamada was causing it. He had to get out of here before he said something stupid. “Hey, uh, what time is it?”

“It’s gonna be five o’clock soon.” Tadashi said as he stood up. “Do you need to leave?”

“Yeah. I have something I need to do.”

Nodding in understanding Tadashi let out a quiet disappointed sigh, his gaze lingering on Hiro for just a moment before he stood up. “Okay, let’s go.”

“What?”

“I’ll walk you down to the bus stop.” Tadashi clarified. “Is that okay?”

“Will you stay here if I said no?”

“Nope.” Tadashi joked, but Hiro knew he would.

Smiling regardless of himself Hiro let out a small cough, suddenly remembering that he was still sick. With a shake of his head he started making his way over to the staircase. “Unbelievable.”

“Oh wait. Hold on a moment Hiro.”

Stopping in his tracks Hiro waited as Tadashi disappeared up into his room and came back a second later holding a small stack of papers. “Here.”

“What’s this?” Hiro scoffed. “My medical bill?”

“Of course it is Mr. Hamada.” Tadashi laughed. “Cough syrup is expensive you know. I didn't spend years in medical school for free.”

“ _Nerd._ ” Flipping through the pages Hiro realized that he was holding the work that he had missed for today.

“Sorry if my notes are a little messy.” Suddenly sheepish Tadashi explained. “I don’t usually take them, but I didn't know if you would want them, so...”

“No, they’re okay.” Hiro felt his heart beat slowly build up. Having to say thanks to the same person this many times should be a crime. “ Thanks. I um... appreciate it.”

 **  
** Looking relieved Tadashi let out a dazzling smile, full of good intentions and something else he couldn’t place.

 

And for a moment, Hiro thinks that his heart has conspired against him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was sick and this is what I did on my laptop, in bed. Real life inspiration for this chapter people. I genuinely like writing this story, it's cool to know some people get a kick out of it too. See ya next time. :D


	9. A Series of Outings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were forced to clean up the cafe for the rest of the week.
> 
> In hindsight, testing out rocket boots in the middle of the cafe wasn't exactly one of their best ideas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did say to expect painfully slow updates. I am only ever so slight sorry.

They were forced to clean up the cafe for the rest of the week.

 

In hindsight, testing out rocket boots in the middle of the cafe wasn't exactly one of their best ideas.

 

Aunt Cass wasn't too thrilled when she discovered that the "cat boots" they had been working on ended up actually being, "cat _rocket_ boots".

 

Mochi was back to hating on him whenever he took up the task of mopping up the floor. The stupid feline probably remembered his little slip up and was dead set on making him fall again.

 

They had submitted their project last Friday, so about two days ago. Hiro really hated Mondays.

 

Resting his chin on the end of the wooden pole, Hiro watched as Mochi messed with the wet white strings attached to the end of mop. The cat's paws gripped the threads as he brought them up to his mouth, gnawing at the ends.

 

"Are you done Hiro?"

 

Straightening up, Hiro spared a glance at Tadashi. Looking back down he pulled the mop away from the cat. Taking it over towards the storage cabinet.

 

"Yeah, I'm done." Hiro bit back a tired sigh. "Do you need help?"

 

It was a stupid question. Tadashi only ever gave help. Never taking it, but he always ending up worrying about other's who did the same.

 

It was as equal parts endearing as it was annoying.

 

"No, no. It's fine, I can handle it." Tadashi smiled. Walking over towards Hiro and taking the mop from his hands before he could put it away. "Besides, it's not the first time Aunt Cass has made me clean up the cafe." Giving an uncomfortable grin Tadashi placed the cleaning tool back in it's place. "I'm sorry you have to do this."

 

There was nothing to be sorry for. After all, he had been the one to put the rockets on Mochi while Tadashi was upstairs. He was going to take the cat outside but the small ball of terror had put up a fight and Hiro had accidentally turned on the boots with his remote.

 

To not waste the opportunity, he had pulled out his phone and recorded Mochi in flight. A large smile pulling at his lips as he struggled to contain his happiness. His hands were shaking with giddiness, it worked!

 

"Wha-? HIRO-!"

 

Okay, so maybe it was Tadashi's fault. Started he had stepped back and crushed the remote under his heel,shutting off his phone as Mochi began to sway and drop midair. One of the rockets shut off and Mochi lost his balance. Zooming over their heads and knocking off frames from the walls.

 

Aunt Cass had come running down once they had gotten it under control. She had thrown a fit, stuffing her face with her own pastries as she scolded them. Hiro was afraid she'd choke, but later Tadashi explained that it was just stress eating, and Cass had done it before.

 

He wasn't really sure how to take that.

 

"It's fine." Hiro leaned back, stretching his arms with a yawn. "Since we have class tomorrow, I'll come back around four or five-ish..."

 

Looking up at clock he checked the time, nearly four o' clock...

 

"You're leaving already?" Tadashi asked in surprise, his hand still on the door handle of the supply closet.

 

It wasn't that Hiro hated spending time with Tadashi. But, the fact that being around the older boy no longer bothered him, was getting really troubling.

 

When they had begun their assignment Hiro had wholeheartedly believed that by the time they finished he would be completely sick of being around Tadashi, and vise versa.

 

He didn't think they would still be spending time together. Ever since he had gotten sick he had avoided too much contact. But Tadashi made it hard. He was always looking for him during school hours and inviting him to the cafe afterwards.

 

"Yeah, I have things I need to do." That was always his excuse. He wondered if it was in Tadashi's nature to not question what he says, and just accept it.

 

Nodding Tadashi smiled, his thumb was tossed over his shoulder as he gestured up the set of stairs. "Let me go grab a jacket from upstairs and I'll walk you out."

 

Hiro shifted uncomfortably, messing with the end of red shirt between his fingers. Ever since he had been coming to the cafe, Tadashi had made it a habit to walk him to the bus stop like he was some girl after a date. He had stopped protesting after about three days but as it was now. He wanted to slowly fade out of this- Whatever this thing they had going on was.

 

"Uh, I'm not taking the bus home today. So you don't have to bother."

 

“You’re... not?”

 

“Why are you surprised?” Hiro scowled offended by the disbelieving tone in Tadashi’s voice. It wasn’t like he spent all of his time at home by himself. He had a life too.

 

“No, no. Sorry.” Tadashi raised his hands up in defense, waving them around as if to fan off Hiro’s hostility. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just- “ Sighing in defeat the college boy gave up with a light smile. “Sorry.”

 

Deflating Hiro pushed up the sleeves of his hoodie so that they bunched at his elbows. “It’s fine, I was just kidding you dork.”

 

Taking the name calling halfheartedly Tadashi smiled. “So where are you going then Hiro?”

 

Mind going blank Hiro froze for a minute. He hadn’t thought that far into his plan yet. “I’m... You know- just...” With a panicked gaze Hiro glanced away from Tadashi's growing suspicion and scanned the cafe walls for something, anything. His eyes lit up as he caught sight of a fruit bowl painting hanging just above the window. “-groceries!”

 

“Groceries?”

 

“Yeah- um, groceries.” How convincing. “My parents are leaving on a business trip overseas in three days. So, they want to make sure I stock up before they leave... And well... yeah..”

 

It wasn’t entirely a lie. His parents were actually leaving on a business trip overseas in a few days, but he didn’t have to get groceries. He was normally reminded to do that after they had left. His mom would call him after a day or so and send him out.

 

“I see...” Tadashi mumbled. His right hand absentmindedly made it’s way to clasp behind his neck. A habit Hiro noticed the other boy had of doing whenever he was thinking or nervous.

 

Zipping up his jacket and glancing down at his shoe laces Hiro bent down on one knee and tied the loose ends quietly, preparing to head out. He made a mental note to jog upstairs and bid Cass goodbye while he could.

 

“I’ll come with you.”

 

 _"What?"_ Fingers fumbling he accidentally pulled one of the stings too far, making one shorter than the other and nearly impossible to tie. Scowling he hurried to fix it and stood up. “You’ll come with?”

 

“Can I not?” Tilting his head in question Tadashi waited patiently for an answer.

 

“No- Well, I mean- ye- but...Why?”

 

“Aunt Cass was planning on stocking up the kitchen for a few days now, but she hasn’t gotten around to it. I was planning on running out and doing it later, but since you’re going. Well, it’s a good time as any I guess.”

 

Hiro stood still looking down at the floor as he took in Tadashi's reasoning. He couldn't just say no. His reason was valid, and he didn't have anything against Cass. He just wanted to slowly fade out of their lives and go back to his usual routine. Glancing back up at the taller boy Hiro held back a frown, getting annoyed right now was pretty childish, but really. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard to ignore someone.

 

“Sure. Knock yourself out, I guess.” Turning on his heel Hiro weaved his way through the tables and rest he hand on the door handle. “I’ll wait outside.”

 

Like a child who had won a prize Tadashi smiled, nodding his head once as he turned and headed upstairs carefully stepping around Mochi.

 

Letting out a tired huff Hiro opened the door and pulled out his phone as he leaned against the cafe wall. He might as well text his mom to let her know what he was up too. He was glad that he had remembered to take his wallet with him this morning. Otherwises his excuse wouldn’t add up and it’d all just end up a big mess.

 

Or he could of just told Tadashi to stay and stopping being nice to him. It wasn’t a hard thing to do but he couldn’t figure out how he’d possibly bring it up. They had practically spent a month together. They were way past the initial days where Hiro could be casually cruel. Now he worried about maintaining this sense of normality that came with being more than acquaintances.

 

He didn’t want Tadashi to think bad of him, but he didn’t want them to become friends either. This was stupidly complicated. He was bothered by his own indecisiveness. Guys don’t usually think this hard about things like this. You’re either friends, or you aren’t. That simple.

 

So why was this taking him so long?

 

The buzzing coming down for his hand made him stand up straight as he gave a cursory glance at the text message he’d gotten.

 

“You ready to go Hiro?”

 

Clicking his phone shut Hiro looked up at Tadashi. He had pulled on a gray zip up jacket over his white shirt and was currently in the process of sliding his wallet into the right pocket.

 

Sucking up his internal irritation Hiro nodded, putting both his hands into his pockets of his dark blue jacket. Waiting for Tadashi to walk up next to him before he started walking. “As ready as ever.”

 

Walking side by side with Tadashi he couldn’t help but compare them. Tadashi was about a head taller than him. He was sure that if he stood in front of him, the top of his head would be level with the bridge of Tadashi’s nose.

 

He had walked these streets about a billion times before. Usually just wandering around without much of a direction. It was pretty weird to think about the times he had glanced into the Lucky Cat Cafe without any real interest, not knowing that he’d one day meet the owners and get to know them.

 

Time was really just ticking down until then wasn’t it? The world sure had a funny way of doing things like that.

 

“Where do you want to stop Hiro?” Breaking the silence Tadashi looked down at him. A casual smile on his lips. Smiling seemed to be a default for him really.

 

“Lawson? Unless you need to get something specific.” Picking a common convenient store seemed like the best choice. He wasn’t too picky of where he got his food as long as it was affordable. Plus, Lawson was pretty close to the cafe, he didn’t want to make Tadashi walk so far with his groceries. Slowing down near a crosswalk Hiro looked at the passengers sitting on the bus as it passed by them.

 

Waiting as the red hand switched into the green walking man Hiro stepped out into the street with Tadashi following close behind.

 

“No, it’s fine. I don’t need much. Aunt Cass just gave me a small list of things. Nothing too major.”

 

Nodding in understanding Hiro moved aside to let others pass by, his elbow knocking into Tadashi’s side unintentionally. “Do you always walk to get groceries?”  

 

Shaking his head as Hiro moved back over to stand on his side of the street Tadashi replied. “Not usually, we normally head up further into town and get what we need at one of the major grocery stores.”

 

“Then why did you come with me?” Hiro raised his brow in suspicion as he looked down the road for the next upcoming intersection.

 

“It’s convenient this way.” Tadashi reasoned. “And besides, I like spending time with you Hiro.”

 

Not digging into the words to deeply Hiro frowned. “That’s unbelievable. It’s more convenient to drive, now you’re stuck carrying bags home.”

 

"It's good to take a walk every once and a while." Tadashi countered. "So you don't have to worry about me."

 

"I wasn't." Hiro scoffed.

 

Tadashi smiled as his gaze met with a random person trying to walk around them. He shifted aside to let them pass as Hiro slowed to a stop, waiting patiently for Tadashi to catch up.

 

"Aren't you contradicting yourself?"

 

Nearly tripping on his own feet Hiro straightened up stiffly, a flush rising to his cheeks as he clicked his tongue against his teeth. “I- j-just keep up you nerd.”

 

Keeping his smile to himself Tadashi opted for staying quiet as Hiro cooled down. They continued to walk in silence for a few more feet before Hiro had pushed aside his embarrassment. Letting his attitude dissipate into the calm surroundings.

 

Up ahead where they were going to need to turn the corner Hiro could hear the buzzing of power tools and the clanging of construction workers. Pulling out his hands from his pockets he pushed back his wind tousled hair, his eyes locked on the moving systems.

 

Almost instantly he began to notice the small restrictions, and parts that could be advanced to perform at maximum efficiency.

 

“Hey, Tadashi.” His voice was soft and curious with a matured childish wonder.

 

“Hm?” Tadashi asked carefully, afraid to draw Hiro’s gaze away from the machinery. He was afraid that by speaking to loudly, Hiro would lose the light in his eyes that only seemed to appear when he was passionate about something.

 

“Why did you chose robotics?”

 

It was an innocent question, but Tadashi was suddenly worried that his reason wasn’t good enough. Not for the amount of quietcare Hiro had put into asking the question.

 

“I want to help people.”

 

Maybe it had something to do with the sincerity of how Tadashi had answered but Hiro couldn’t help but turn and look up at him.

 

“My dad was an engineer, and my mom was a nurse. They died when I was nine in a car accident.”

 

Suddenly guilty and uncomfortable for even asking he opened his mouth to apologize. But was saying sorry really the best thing to do in this situation? The words felt wrong sitting on his tongue. Heavy and unwelcome because part of him didn't mean it. He didn’t know them, he didn’t even really know Tadashi. “I’m-’

 

“No, it’s okay.” Shaking his head lightly Tadashi continued. “I was planning on telling you eventually. I first got into building when I was young, my dad was always showing me his blueprints and answering my questions. My mom was the opposite of Cass, she was quiet and serious. But her heart was always in the right place. I guess... “ Tadashi’s smile was borderline self-deprecating. And Hiro found that he hated it. “I did it for them.”

 

Taking the final steps away from the fenced off area of the construction site, Hiro could see the convenience store up ahead.

 

Unsure of where to take the conversation without it looking like he was running away, Hiro hesitated. He had to share something now.. It was only fair, right?

 

“Robotics...” Waiting for Tadashi’s gaze to meet his, Hiro took a deep breath. Keeping his eyes locked with his, putting up a brave front even though his casual demeanor was fluctuating. “I-It makes me happy, s-so...”

 

What was he supposed to say? I do it for me? That was just it, nothing he had ever done was for him. Pretending to make fiends, that was for his parents. Being bullied, that was to build up someone else’s confidence. Attending SFIT, that was for Callaghan, and every other scientist who wanted him to reach their expectations. Building and making things with his own hands to express himself, making his own decisions and watching them come to life, that was all for him.

 

Why was he so bad with expressing himself?  
  


“Hiro.”

 

Happy to shut up Hiro waited, letting his head incline down to look at the floor as Tadashi’s hand came up and ruffled his hair. “Thanks, knucklehead.”

 

Taking the gesture for what it was worth Hiro smiled, swiping the hand off his head and letting out a small huff. “Watch the hair you nerd.”

 

“You mean the bedhead you have going on? I don’t think it qualifies as hair.”

 

“And your mess does?” Hiro snorted.

 

“I think I look great.” Tadashi smirked. “We’re here.”

 

Sure enough, they had arrived. Being careful about the cars leaving the parking lot, they made their way inside.

 

Getting groceries with Tadashi had been everything Hiro had expected it to be.

 

The giant dork was acting like he was Hiro’s mom or something. Telling him to pick vegetables over instant meals. Arguing with him about the purpose of lettuce. Putting back the unhealthy choices Hiro pulled off from the shelves. He was sure that Tadashi was more concerned with what Hiro was buying more than he was about getting his own things.

 

“Tadashi, I don’t care.”

 

“Well you should care. How long did you say your parents were going to be gone?”

 

“Does it matter? I always eat like this.” Frowning in distaste as Tadashi picked up some green vegetable Hiro was sure was meant to be banned by the FDA. He didn’t argue as it was plopped down into his basket. “Gross.”

 

“Don’t make that face, it’s just a romanesco.”

 

“It’s an abomination.”

 

Laughing at the seriousness in Hiro’s expression Tadashi picked up the weird cauliflower and put it back. “You’ve got a point there.” Taking a bit of mercy on the younger boy Tadashi sighed. “How about we get some candy for the walk back?”

 

“Are you serious?” Eyes lighting up Hiro couldn’t stop the excitement from showing on his face.

 

“Yeah, what do you have in mind?” It was a struggle to keep himself from commenting on how cute Hiro looked.

 

Instead of just telling him, Hiro made a point of dragging Tadashi over to the candy section. Colorful displays of sweets lined the wall in ungodly amounts of sugar. It was absolutely beautiful.

 

Without even having to look around Hiro made his way over to where he knew it was located.

 

“Gummy Bears?”

 

Turning around and addressing Tadashi’s voice Hiro nodded a large grin on his face, showing off his tooth gap. “Gummy Bears.”

 

Smiling despite his suspicion Tadashi picked up a small package. He had nothing against gummy bears but it wasn’t what he had in mind when he had offered. “Are you sure you want these?”

 

“Why wouldn’t I?”

 

“Right, sorry.” Scoffing a bit Tadashi smiled. “Let’s go pay for this stuff.”

 

“Oh, I can’t let you pay for that.”

 

Before Hiro could even respond, he had been cut off by a woman’s voice. Turning to look over his shoulder he caught sight of an older looking employee.

 

“It’s so sweet to see a pair of siblings treat each other so nicely. Most kids aren’t like that now a days.”

 

Awkwardly Hiro gave a small smile, messing with the string of his hood. “Oh, uh, we aren-”

 

“I wish my older siblings had been as kind as your older brother.” Letting out a fond sigh the old women smiled softly. “We’re all scattered around the country now. We’re all much nicer now, or well.. we pretend to be.” She laughed. “Take a bag of gummy bears each, it’s on me.”

 

“We couldn’t possibly-” Tadashi started.

 

“Nonsense, nonsense. Think of it was a gift.”

 

Not having the heart to correct the old women, Hiro took her up on her offer. “Thank you.” He couldn’t help but feel warm at the pleased smile the old woman sent their way.

 

“Let's go _big bro._ ”

 

Still internally debating the idea, Tadashi gave up. “Thank you.” Looking back down at Hiro he gave a teasing smile. “Let’s go _little bro._ ”

 

Once they had paid off their things and stepped outside Hiro could tell it was getting later into the evening.

 

“It’s getting late, wanna go get some lunch before you head home?”

 

“I don’t want to eat Cass’s food without paying.” Holding the brown paper bag to his chest Hiro glanced over Tadashi who was carrying his own things.

 

“She loves to feed you, and that’s not exactly what I meant.”

 

“What did you mean then?” Shifting the bags in his hands Hiro sighed.The street lights were preparing to make an appearance.

 

“I know a place, Aunt Cass and I have gone out to eat few time. It’s close to the cafe, so you don’t have to worry about any detours.”

 

Not having a reason to say no, Hiro shrugged. “Sure, as long as you’re paying.”

 

“Of course.”

 

_Unbelievable._

 

“That was a joke, I’m _not_ letting you.”

 

The place Tadashi had in mind was a small little family run restaurant, a short walk away from the cafe. Cass had called once they had gotten seated and ordered their dinner, Tadashi had stepped out and taken the call while Hiro had waited inside.

 

Pulling out his own phone Hiro sent a quick text to his mom. Telling her that he was going to eat out today and that he was fine. He was careful not to kick the bags resting on the floor by his feet.

 

“Um... e-excuse me.”

 

Looking up from his lap, Hiro was face to face with the nice young waitress who had taken their orders.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Um...” Fiddling with a strand of her hair, the young woman pulled out a small folded piece of paper. “Do you mind giving this to your b-brother when he gets back?”

 

Dumbly Hiro took the small note from her hand. Not knowing what to do but hold it in his hand as she flushed a bright red and walked back into the employee entrance leading into the back.

 

The note in his hand must have weighed less than a gram but for some reason it felt like it put a lot more weight on his palm. The paper had a lingering smell of roses? He wasn’t familiar with the difference between the scents of flowers. Unfolding the small paper with minimal care, he wasn’t surprised to see an elegantly scribbled phone number. The same thing happened every one and a while at school, and a lot during the first week.

 

It wasn’t anything new to have people think he was Tadashi’s brother and give him love letters to hand off.

 

But still... Tightening his fingers around the small grip he had on the note, he watched as the paper around his thumb indented and crinkled.

 

Why was he so _irritated?_

“Sorry for the wait Hiro.” Looking back up Hiro saw as Tadashi took his seat. “What’s that?”

 

“A note.”

 

“A note?”

 

Suppressing the urge to crumple it up in his hand and call it nothing Hiro folded it back up along the seams and slid it over to Tadashi indifferently, not wanting to touch his hand as he passed it over. “It’s for you.”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yeah, it’s from the waitress.” Hiro said curtly picking up his cup of water and bringing the straw to his mouth with his tongue. He chewed on the tip of the plastic with his front teeth, watching as pink flush rose to Tadashi’s cheek and he brought his hand to clasp the back of his neck sheepishly.

 

“Really... “

 

Placing his drink down as Tadashi began to unfold the paper, Hiro stood up abruptly. “I’m gonna use the bathroom, be right back.”

 

“Uh-”

 

Making his way briskly around the tables Hiro turned down the hallway and took a sharp turn at a sign not slowing down in his pace. He should have really been more careful because he was forced to take a few steps back as he collided with another person.

 

“Sorry- I didn’t mean-”

 

“Hamada...”

 

Blinking once and picking up his posture Hiro focused, he knew that voice from somewhere... Wait a minute... “You’re... that girl from Advanced Engineering 101.” What was her name? Actually... He doesn’t think he ever learned her name. What did he call her? Barbie? Wait, wasn’t there two of them?

 

“Watch where you’re walking you brat.” Harsh and angry she spat at him.

 

Taken aback he was confused. What was her problem? He hadn’t done any- No, he remembered what he did. Tadashi, phone number, therapist... right... It made more sense now.

 

“You walked into me too, it wasn’t a one-sided collision.” He bit back, he wasn’t in the mood for this.

 

“Don’t give me that bullshit, You think you’re so smart don’t you?” She snarled. “I have news for you brat, you’re not as special as you think you are.”

 

She didn’t have to tell him twice. “Look, I’m sorry for tricking you and your friend or whatever. But I just need to go to the bathroom. I’m sure Tadashi would love to go out with you.”

 

Trying to step aside and squeeze through didn’t work as well as he had hoped.

 

“Do you really think it’d be that easy?” She snarled. “It’s a shame really, your little project was cute...” She smiled, the sudden change in her expression made Hiro question it’s true intentions. “It’s almost as if I’d seen it somewhere before.”

 

“What are you getting at?”

 

Stepping back Hiro fought back a sneeze as she flipped her hair, sending the strong scent of vanilla into his nose.

 

“You’re not as clever as you make yourself out to be.” Smirking she waved back at him. “Tell Tadashi I said, Hi.”

 

He wasn’t sure if he was more or less agitated when he went back to the table. He told Tadashi he was fine and he kept up a conversation. But he couldn't help but letting his mind wander to what had happened. Not as clever? What the hell did that even mean?

 

On the walk back to the cafe the day was beginning to turn into night. It was probably somewhere around seven o’ clock. He really needed to catch the bus.

 

“You okay Hiro? You seem a little out of it?”

 

He was just peachy. “I’m fine, you need to stop worrying so much. This is why everyone thinks you’re my brother.”

 

“Ha, right.” Smiling he readjusted the bags in his arms. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

Before Hiro could comment some more, his phone suddenly rang in his pocket. Confused he stopped walking, shifting the weight of the bag to pull out his phone. Tadashi stopped walking raising his brow as he waited.

 

“Your parents?” He asked.

 

“No.” Looking down Hiro’s eyes widened as he read the ID.

 

The Institute..?

 

Preparing himself for anything Hiro slid his thumb across the screen. Bringing the device up to his ear quickly.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hello? Hiro Hamada?”

 

“Yes?”

  
“This is Professor Craige from the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology. I would like to have a word with you concerning some serious matters regarding your project...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was pretty long, I'm glad people enjoy this. It took me a while to write this one, school really got busy and I had to prioritize. Eh... You guys are all really great. I write these by myself and edit them by myself so I appreciate any corrections, I promise I won't be offended. Thanks for reading! This chapter was brought you by food, go eat some food! :D
> 
>  
> 
> DISCLAIMER, I AM NOT A COLLEGE KID YET, BUT I'M STILL OLD AND GROSS ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT PROFESSORS DON'T ACTUALLY CALL YOU, I GAINED THIS WISDOM THROUGH GOOGLE, AND ASKING MY COUNSELOR A FANFIC PLOT PROGRESSING QUESTION DISGUISED AS AN INFORMATIVE QUESTION. THIS WILL BE ADDRESSED NEXT CHAPTER, BUT IF YOU'RE CURIOUS NOW, JUST READ THE COMMENT BELOW MADE BY GUEST9 WHO KINDLY CALLED ME OUT ON MY B.S, BECAUSE IT IS IN FACT ALL B.S. AND I'M GREATFUL. XD


	10. Taking the Fall without a Shove

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a matter of pride, and Hiro had a lot of pride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SORRY, SOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYYY!!! D:

Hiro was too young to be sued.

 

In his mind he had imagined something like this happening later into his mid-thirties. Except he would be the one pressing the charges. Not the opposite way round. But judging by the way his stomach wouldn't settle, and chills kept tumbling down his spin in waves. He knew this wasn’t just another bad dream.

 

Shifting uncomfortably Hiro swallowed the lump in his throat. When Callaghan heard about this he would be in sooooo much trouble...

 

He was sure the school board already didn't like him. What was there to like? He was rude, cocky, and dismissive to people who tried to be nice to him. This was just the icing on the cake really.

 

Climbing up the steps leading up into Craige’s office Hiro made sure to take slow steps. Clinging onto the railing like he had a severe fear of heights. He had made sure to steer clear of the elevators. Trying his hardest to waste as much time as he could before the inevitable meeting.  

 

To make things even worse, Tadashi also had to be involved. It was a group project, meaning you two worked together, you two fail together. And honestly, he wished he had put up a fight and not partnered up with him in the first place.

 

Not only was his reputation and admission on the line, but Tadashi’s no doubt perfect clean record was at stake.

 

Yesterday when he had ended the call, he was as pale as a ghost and probably as loud as one too considering Tadashi had taken it upon himself to make sure he wasn't about to pass out. He had lied and told Tadashi that he was fine and that Craige just had a few questions to ask him. His initial plan was to make it so that Craige only spoke to him about the issue. He wanted to keep Tadashi in the dark for as long as it would take to clear up this misunderstanding.

 

He knew Tadashi hadn't believed him the moment he had said goodbye, but he was thankful that he didn't push the matter. Taking his groceries and thanking him for dinner Hiro was sure he was safe. But that didn't last long seeing as Craige also thought it would only be fair to also call Tadashi to join their little meeting. 

 

The whole project had been his idea, and it was more than just embarrassing that they were being called out on it. Hiro didn’t even know what it was that he wanted to prove, but he was sure that he wouldn't be able to look anyone in the eyes once this was settled.

 

Reaching the door Hiro took a deep breath, placing his hand onto the doorknob he could hear Tadashi and Craige on the other side, muffled and serious. Sucking up his anxiety he slowly opened the door.

 

“Ah, Mr. Hamada. Come in please, and close the door behind you.”

 

He didn't know how long the two of them had been in here talking, but he wasn't about to ask about it. The less he knew the better he felt, but even now he felt terrible and no one had even said anything important yet.

 

Stepping into the room he avoided Tadashi’s gaze as the older boy turned to look at him from the chair he was seated in.

 

Closing the door quietly as he was instructed. Hiro made sure it clicked shut before he moved.

 

Stiffly keeping his hands to his sides Hiro moved to take the empty chair placed next to Tadashi’s. He was careful not to touch anything as he kept his eyes locked strictly on the professor.

 

“Well then, seeing as you’re both here now let’s get down to the matter at hand.”

 

This was it. No short speech about how he couldn’t believe this was coming from the institute’s most talented students. No comments that would hopefully calm their nerves. No nothing. Straight to business, no nonsense.

 

Hiro wasn’t ready. No matter how much confidence and arrogance he put forth, he was still a kid and confrontation scared him.

  
  
"I’ll start by saying this.” Craige began slowly. “Plagiarism is a serious offense, and even though you two are not directly copying an author. It's the infringement of ideas that is the source of offense. Do you understand that?”

 

Oh Hiro understood that loud and clear. There wasn’t a part of him that didn’t understand it. But there was something else bothering him. “Why did you contact us personally? I mean...” Why was he even asking. Did he want this to be worse for them?! “I-Isn’t it the school policy to send us straight to the dean?”

 

Scoffing in a manner that only experienced people do, Craige smirked. “It’s my personal policy to speak with the individuals in question before the dean hears word of the situation. To push matters of such importance straight through to receive punishment is unjust. It’s the same reason you cannot sentence a man before a trial. It’s absolutely unreasonable.”

 

Letting his shoulders relax Hiro sat back in his seat feeling somewhat relieved. He still had time to fix things. He could clear up this whole misunderstanding and take the blame onto his shoulders. This entire mess was his fault, there was no need to drag Tadashi down with him.

 

“Professor Craige.”

 

Hiro glanced to his side when he heard Tadashi speak up. From the moment he had walked in Tadashi had been sitting silently, glancing back and forth from Hiro to Craige. His right palm cupped his mouth as he sat in serious thought, seemingly throwing an idea back and forth in his head seriously.

 

What was he thinking about...?

 

“Yes, Mr. Hamada?”

 

“If I may ask, who brought this claim to you?” He asked, his eyebrows furrowed with hesitant curiosity.

 

“My teaching assistant. Ms. Beck from your engineering course.”  Craige answer, turning his chair so that it angled to face Tadashi directly. “I assigned her to look through the blueprints and mark off the students who had submitted the assignment before I would take them to be graded. This way, there would be a clear distinction between the students who deserve credit and those who deserve a score reduction.”

 

Taking a pause to let out a sign, Craige glanced over at Hiro briefly.

 

“According to Ms. Beck a few days prior she had been visiting the lab of a close friend before class and had heard a commotion coming from one of the neighboring rooms. She rushed out with the other students and saw what appeared to be the young Mr. Hamada rushing out of the building while the undergraduate students struggled to contain wild rockets. And as it turned out, that same student had proposed an invention strikingly similar to yours. And as chance would have it, that young man is also one of my students during a different period.”

 

“Wait- the labs...” Hiro blinked. “But I was only there for a minute, there was no time for me to get a blueprint from that guy even if I-!”

 

“Mr. Hamada please refrain from yelling.” Craige cut him off.

 

“But I don’t even know him!” Hiro argued. “And even if I did steal his invention, then I would need to have access to his lab. And-!”

 

“Mr. Hamada-”

 

“Hiro.” Tadashi cut in sternly, making the smaller boy look over at him startled. “Hey...” He said slowly. “It’ll be okay. You don’t have to yell.” He said has he gave a simple smile. “We’ll figure it out.”

 

Clenching his teeth together Hiro bit back his defense. He couldn’t believe it... She had been there. She had been at the labs when that guy’s rocket boots went off.

 

He hadn’t been in there for more than a few minutes and yet... He felt as though he had been set up. He didn’t take anything and he knew that for a fact, but even still, he was worried that something had been planted on him.

 

He was worried that there was something incriminating him somewhere and he didn’t even know it.  

 

He hoped to God that Tadashi was right.

 

“I understand how this must feel for you Mr. Hamada, but arguing in an uncivil manner won’t get any point across.” Craige said seriously, running his hand over his eyes he leaned back into his chair. “Now that you two have asked your questions, I have one of my own.”

 

Hiro stilled, waiting in cautious silence for the professor to ask his question.

 

“Who was the head of this project?"

 

Mustering up his courage Hiro took a deep breath, preparing to sacrifice everything he had ever worked for up to this point.

  
  
"It was-”

 

"It was my design.”

 

Choked on the same breath he had just taken Hiro’s voice broke off into a dumbfounded silence, as he snapped his head over to stare at Tadashi with wide alarmed eyes.

 

“I was the one who proposed the idea.” He said confidently, leaning no doubt to be found in his tone. “Hiro simply worked under my instructions. I told him what to build, but the design was entirely my own. We broke up the work in that way. Earlier that day that same student’s cat got loose and knocked over some chemicals from a girl’s station releasing a non-toxic fume into the air that scared some students. I wrote an incident report on the situation and was late to your class.”

  
  
Confused, and far too shocked to form any kind of words, Hiro’s lip twitched with a need to speak up but he couldn’t think of anything to say.

  
  
"Tadashi? Well that's all very surprising, and it does change a few things.” Craige said, obviously not believing it but taking the older boy’s word for what it was. “But nevertheless it's under a rule of confidentiality that I need to speak to you concerning this incident.”

  
  
Not once showing any sign of hesitance Tadashi nodded not taking his eyes off of Craige’s. “I understand.”

  
  
“Hiro, you're excused. We'll talk later.”

 

Startled out of his stupor his swung his attention back to the engineering professor. His nerves  were a mess as he found his voice once again. Speaking more out of desperation than actual composure. “But-!”

 

“This is a private discussion, Mr. Hamada.”

 

No. He didn’t understand. Craige obviously knew that if anyone had stolen anything it would have been Hiro. Tadashi knew about the guy and his cat. He had met him before Hiro had even known that he existed. But even still... even if Tadashi did steal blueprints, which Hiro’s 110% sure he didn’t, he wasn’t the one to design the project.

 

_Hiro was._

 

This was all wrong, he couldn’t let this happen.

  
  
“No, Professor Craige.” Hiro’s voice was hurried as he tried to calm his anxiety. Standing up from his chair he pointed a finger at himself to emphasize his point.  “It- _I was-_ ”

  
  
“Professor Craige can I speak to Hiro for a second?” Tadashi hurried to speak as he stood up from his chair, turning to look at Hiro with an almost pleading expression behind his calm demeanor. 

 

But Hiro was having none of it, turning his gaze away he stared at Craige. The old man could tell how upset the younger boy was just from his hostile stance. Really... kids these days were just to easy to read. 

  
  
Scanning the two young men in front of him with clear eyes, he gave then a tired but understanding dismiss of the hand. “If you wish.”

 

Taking a hold of Hiro’s lowered hand, Tadashi swiftly pulled Hiro out of the room as he followed without much resistance. Leading them a good distance away from the office.

 

"What the hell was that?!"

 

Turning around and releasing Hiro’s wrist from his grip he turned to face Hiro’s frantic eyes and angry posture.

  
  
“Hiro-”

 

"No, don't you- I can't believe you-!"

 

Keeping up with appearances be damned. He didn't care if he was stepping out of line, or if this was going to change the way he and Tadashi interacted with each other. There was something wrong about this, something selfish on Tadashi's part that Hiro couldn't stand. It was the small things he could deal with.

 

The giving away his jacket in the rain to someone else, giving Hiro the least amount of work possible while keeping the majority, putting others before himself. Those were just all things that made Tadashi, Tadashi. 

 

But it was this complete and utter lack of consideration about himself that really pissed Hiro off. 

 

This wasn't the first time he had done this, but this was the first time it really mattered. Tadashi was taking all the blame like he deserved it, taking all the responsibility of Hiro's problem to make sure that he knew for himself that he had done the most that he could, all while putting the guilt on Hiro's shoulders. 

 

"Hiro, I know you're mad. But you need to-"

  
  
“What are you even doing?!” Hiro snapped jabbing a finger at Tadashi’s chest forcing him to take a step back. “You idiot! It's not your design, _it's mine._ You can't take the fall for this- You'll get in so much trouble! Haven’t you thought about that at all?!”

 

And maybe Tadashi did know best, and he was just exaggerating this whole mess. But Hiro had never been good at dealing with himself. Even now his hands won't stop shaking and he feels like he'll throw up in any minute. His heart is beating so fast that he doesn't know where to put all this emotion, all this anxiety that kept building up the longer he sat in front of Craige. 

 

It was a matter of pride, and Hiro had a lot of pride.

 

“I did.” Tadashi said as he moved forward back to his original location. “I thought about it more than you think.”

 

No he clearly hadn't, because if he had Hiro would have been in the room still defending his work in front of his engineering professor saving Tadashi's stupid self-sacrificing ass.

 

He had already made up his mind about this, he would take the fall and no one else. He would find his way out of this, he didn't need someone else to be his scapegoat, he had done nothing wrong. _They_ had done nothing wrong, and he was going to prove it. What was Tadashi trying to do?

 

“This doesn’t count as ‘figuring it out’!” Hiro huffed. “You could ruin your reputation! This isn’t a game Tadashi!”

 

“I know it’s not-” Tadashi argued back, placing both his hands on Hiro’s shoulders to steady his jittery movements. He didn't need to ask to tell that Hiro was scared just sitting in that room.

 

He watched as the small genius was trying to control his expression the entire time, clutching and toying with his seat as Professor Craige explained how the claim came about. The incident report about the cat spilling the chemicals was just a lucky coincidence. “Just-! Hiro...” he sighed, hanging his head tiredly. Taking one hand off of Hiro’s shoulder as he ran a hand through his hair. “I know what I’m getting myself into. But, I’m going to need you to trust me on this, okay?”

 

He knew exactly what he was getting into, he could fix it. It wouldn't be as hard for him to be believable, but Hiro was younger, new to this campus and flighty at times. He knew Hiro hadn't done anything wrong, he had watched him work the entire time. Scribbling and erasing for hours on end. Asking Tadashi for feedback every once in awhile when he remember that he wasn't alone. No part of that could have been faked. He wanted Hiro to trust him. Not just with this mess, but with everything and anything. 

 

Taking note in the way Tadashi squeezed his shoulders, speaking carefully to make sure he understood his intentions. Hiro felt his anger fade out from him as he ran his own hand through his hair, bitting his lip in worry as he spoke quietly. “Why are you doing this...?”

 

All of this, every single part of it was completely and utterly unbelievable. 

 

“Why?” Tadashi repeated, blinking for a few moments before letting out a small huff as though Hiro had asked him such an obvious question in the world. His gaze filled with mirth as he smiled. “Because we’re friends.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short one, but I'm soooooo freaking sorry guys. I'm gonna be going back and fixing my mistakes on the previous chapters and cleaning up some sentences that I now realize sound very awkward and stiff. Thank you so much for being so patient with me. I promise I'm not dead or giving up, but school just started back up for me and I'm kind of a mess and I'm all over the place with everything. Thank you so much for your reviews and kudos. It reminded me of what I need to do and kept me motivated. A lot of you called this out in earlier chapters, so here ya go! 
> 
> (SORRRY! D:)


	11. Apologizing more than Necessary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fact that Tadashi expects Hiro to just sit in the cafe and wait for God knows how long, just goes to show that they aren’t as close as he thinks they are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... um... Hi, guess who's not dead?

 

The fact that Tadashi expects Hiro to just sit in the cafe and wait for God knows how long, just goes to show that they aren’t as close as he thinks they are.

 

After their little argument outside of Craige’s office Tadashi had sent him to the cafe saying that Cass was swamped and needed help. Hiro’s sure that it was a lie just to get him to leave, but at the time he couldn’t think straight so he went along with it.

 

Holding back his nerves he left the SFIT campus, leaving Tadashi to deal with the aftermath of the problem that wasn’t even his to begin with.

 

When he reached the cafe Cass seemed to know that something was off with him. He’s grateful that her nephew hadn’t told her about the incident. Though a part of him wishes he had, so that he could have someone to talk to about this. He really needed an outsiders opinion. Though as he had originally suspected Cass wasn’t nearly as busy as Tadashi had made it seem. Nevertheless, she still put him to work.

 

He was glad to have some kind of distraction. But each time he finished taking orders and carrying the dishes over to the sink, the gnawing guilt and worry ate at him.

 

Deciding to take a break Hiro took off the green apron choosing to sit over in one of the booths at the far end of the cafe. Where he hoped no one could see him. Not that there was really anything to see. Most people avoided getting involved with other people's problems. 

 

Taking pity on him Cass offered him a cup of coffee. On any other day he would have filled the thing with sugar, but today he decided against it and simply took it black.  As far as taste went it was pretty gross. Wincing at the bitterness Hiro pushed the warm drink away. Up to this point he had mainly toyed with the cup as opposed to actually drinking it anyway. 

 

It was a good two hours or so by the time Tadashi walked in through the door. If Hiro wasn’t actively waiting for him, he doesn’t think he would have seen him. Though the ringing bell above the door mixed with Cass’s voice as she greeted the older boy brought his attention over to him.

 

Jumping up and pushing aside his terribly cold cup Hiro maneuvered his way to the door. He was careful to slip past the tables and chairs. Not wanting anything else to go wrong today. “Tadashi!”

 

Seemingly surprised that Hiro had actually bothered to listen to him and wait at the cafe, Tadashi turned to look at him caught of guard.

 

From Hiro’s point of view the older boy looked tired, like he had been thinking long and hard about something before he reached the cafe.

 

Letting out a tired sigh, and shaking his head with a playful smile he opened his mouth to acknowledge the genius. “What were you thinking knucklehead?”

 

“I’m so sorry!” If Hiro had bothered to realize Tadashi was just kidding maybe he wouldn’t have been so frantic to apologize. But even still, he needed to apologize. “I wasn’t- Well, I was thinking, but it’s not my fault!” He was probably drawing more unwanted attention to himself, but he really didn’t care right now.

 

He had spent a long time thinking and he needed to make sure that Tadashi knew he didn’t steal anything. He doesn’t care if Tadashi spent those two hours condemning Hiro and his work, he just needed him to believe him.

 

_Someone had to hear his side of the story._

 

“It- It really is all my fault, but-”

 

“Woah, okay.” Tadashi breathed, gripping Hiro’s shoulders and gently moving him back so that he could step away from the door. A few curious patrons were watching them, trying to put together their own idea of what it was Hiro was rambling on about. “Okay Hiro, calm down. No one is freaking out on you, so just.. Breathe. I took care of it.”

 

Not stopping to calm down like he had been instructed Hiro only spoke faster. “Look Tadashi, I didn’t mean to copy some guy’s idea. I saw his failed ones only for a minute and then I left. And that was it. _I swear._ ”

 

“Hiro-”

 

“And then Mochi freaked me out and I wanted to get back at him-”

 

“Hold on.” Tadashi stopped him briefly. His face showing a mix of disbelief and amusement. “Mochi? You got us into this mess because Mochi scared you?”

 

“Yeah, but just listen! I know you probably don’t believe me, but-”

 

“I do.”

 

“-mine were way better and they actually worked, so-”

 

What?

 

Pausing he took a deep breath, looking up to scan Tadashi’s face for any sign of a lie. Any sign that would let him know that he heard wrong. “... What did you just say...?”

 

“I do.” Tadashi repeated, taking advantage of the fact that Hiro had finally managed to settle down Tadashi grabbed his arm. He lead Hiro away from the entrance and into the second kitchen hidden behind a white door just behind the counter of the cafe. Taking off his hat he let out a long sigh leaning against the counter. “I believe you Hiro.”

 

Confused, and ready to pay all of Tadashi’s court costs Hiro bit back a hysterical laugh. Instead letting out a disbelieving huff. “... Are you insane...?”

 

“That’s not very nice.”

 

“But...” Hiro stared at the college boy unsure of everything he had been telling himself while Tadashi was talking to Craige. “Why...?”

 

If he was completely and utterly honest with himself, then he knew for a fact that he didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve to be helped out by Tadashi.

 

And sure he had said he was doing this because they were “friends” or something of the sort. But that answer wasn’t good enough. While he was cleaning up tables Hiro had noticed that nothing he did implied that he was Tadashi’s friend.

 

He never did anything willingly. Hiro always waited to be invited, always stayed away unless Tadashi came looking for him. It was a one sided relationship that relied heavily on Tadashi’s side. You don’t sacrifice yourself the way he had for an ungrateful acquaintance like him. People only do something like this if they want something in return. Though there was literally nothing that Hiro had that Tadashi couldn’t get himself.

 

So if that was the case, what did he want?

 

“Your design was far more complicated when they were compared side by side.” Tadashi began, making sure to speak slowly and calmly so that Hiro could follow word for word. “Plus, Professor Craige himself took both of them apart and made sure of it when I told him it was just a coincidental mistake. They’re 100% different and even if they weren’t, I’d still believe you.”

 

Well that explained why he had taken so long with Craige. But still... “Why?”

 

“Why, what?”

 

“I haven’t done anything for you.” Hiro bit out, finally asking the question that had been bugging him the entire time.

 

“Do I need a reason?”

 

_Obviously._

 

Hiro’s sure that the conversation would have ended there if he had taken it for an answer.

 

But he didn't. 

 

The question wasn't just why did you do this, the real question was what do you want from me, what could Hiro possibly have that would warrant all of this?

 

Sighing Tadashi moved to run his fingers through his hair. An awkward smile finding its way onto his face. “It’s because we’re partners. Partners trust each other. And besides, I told you before, I’m your friend.”

 

That answer wasn’t good enough but Hiro wasn’t in the position to push for more. There was something that Tadashi wasn’t telling him, something that would have all of this make sense and add up.

 

Determined to find out what it was he resigned for now and just took his word for it.

 

Awkwardly trying for a smile Hiro sighed, hoping that this would be enough to express his gratitude for now.

 

_“Thank you.”_

 

Tadashi didn’t go into much detail about what happened during his talk with Craige. No matter how hard Hiro interrogated him he wouldn’t let up. Cass hadn’t been kidding when she said that he could be stubborn.

 

Since Tadashi was so keen on keeping him in the dark, Hiro decided to go straight to the source. He couldn’t believe that the issue could have just been taken care of just because of something Tadashi had said.

 

Making his way over to the SFIT campus Hiro felt like he was doing something unbelievably stupid. Granted it wasn't the first time he felt this way, but this was something he needed to understand himself. There was too much left up in the air.

 

Callaghan hadn’t called him up and yelled at him, so he could only think that the problem never reached his ears. Which in his case, was a good thing. An unbelievably good thing.

 

There was no way that he could still be a student there if that was the case.

 

Making the familiarly terrifying journey up to Craige's office Hiro began to regret his decision. Maybe it was best to leave things as they were. He shouldn’t mess with things that were already settled.

 

Curiosity killed the cat, or in this case, set the cat flying right into academic probation.

 

Mustering up his courage Hiro weighed his chances before knocking on the wooden door of Craige’s office.

 

Stepping back he waited a few seconds before the voice of his professor invited him in.

 

Before he could scare himself too bad Hiro walked in, waiting for his teacher to look up from the papers he was reading before moving to sit down in the empty chair in front of him.

 

“Hamada?” Craige raised his brow in confusion, “And to what do I owe this visit? Most kids avoid coming back after they get in trouble.”

 

Offering a fake grin at the jab Hiro shifted in the chair. Regret came immediately and he wasn't sure if suddenly wanting Tadashi here to bail him out was a good or bad thing.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Seeing to understand what it was Hiro was here for the old man smiled. Pushing away from his desk and crossing his arms over his chest. He stared at Hiro briefly, to intimidate him more than anything else. 

 

Though Hiro isn't sure why he even felt the need to do that. All he had to do was blink and Hiro would be afraid. 

 

“That design was yours, was it not, Mr. Hamada?”

 

Even if it was phrased as a question, Hiro knew for a fact that it wasn’t.

 

“Professor Craige, I’m so sorry-” Hiro began, not expecting to be cut off so early in his apology.

 

“No, no. None of that.”

 

Dread was the first thing that Hiro felt, he probably made this worse by showing up. God someone kill him now. “But-”

 

As if noticing Hiro’s anticipation Craige sighed, more amused than annoyed. “I’m not going to punish you Mr. Hamada.” He let the world sink in before he continued, “You see Hiro, this institute runs according to an honor system. All inventions are documented into a database to ensure they are authorized and according to health, and safety regulations. And as such, all projects are run side by side throughout the database to ensure no copyright infringement.”

 

Leaning back in his chair Hiro took in the information as it came, if the projects were run through a database then why did he and Tadashi get called out?

 

There was no way his work was similar to anyone else's. 

 

“No number of students can work on the same idea unless they have consent from an authorized instructor that all designs are diverse-”

 

Feeling an embarrassed shame hit him for having this even happen at all, Hiro grumbled bitterly. “I didn’t mean to-”

 

“Learn to hold your tongue Mr. Hamada, I already said I wasn’t punishing you.”

 

Stopping mid sentence Hiro recoiled. “Sorry...”

 

“Now, as I was saying. There cannot be any claims without justification. The reason you and the other Mr. Hamada were notified was because you are under strict observation. The school has been notified of your previous behavior with prior classmates. Callaghan has made a personal request to your instructors to review any confrontation or incident regarding you and your new colleagues. So you must excuse us for the assumptions.”

 

He could believe this.

 

Callaghan had basically hired him some babysitters.

 

“I have personally found the student who’s invention was similar, and privately spoken to them about the matter.”

 

Oh great, he found cat boy.

 

“The student has assured me that he does not recall you ever being present in his laboratory during his construction process. But he does recall seeing you briefly during a test run.”

 

Hiro tensed up as Craige fixed him with a dull stare. Watching Hiro as though he knew something his student didn’t. “Although, even a students of your intellectual capability cannot copy a blueprint from sight alone. Even so, I compared the two designs and you are free of all penalties.”

 

Thank God they found cat boy.

 

Toying with the chair he was sitting on, Hiro sat up straighter. “... And Tadashi? What about him?”

 

Surprised by Hiro’s concern Craige sat up as well. “Under my jurisdiction Professor Callaghan and the school board of directors have not been, and will not be, notified of any incident regarding you or the other Mr. Hamada. Although... next time please do take responsibility for your own work.”

 

Hiro sighed, letting out an uncomfortable noise of agreement. Of course the old man knew Tadashi wasn’t behind the design. He'd be an idiot not to realize it, and idiots don’t work at SFIT. Though the fact that he still went along with it said more about him as a person than it did about his teaching methods.

 

“Sorry....”

 

Letting out a breathy laugh Craige rested his elbows on top of his papers. “You’ve apologized far too much already Hamada. I wanted to congratulate you, not ask for an apology.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“It was an intricate design. I could not completely put your work back together if it weren’t for the blueprints and the help of the other Mr. Hamada. Your level of creativity and innovation are far beyond any student I’ve ever had the pleasure to instruct in all my years of teaching.”

 

“I- Thank you.” Hiro nodded. “For everything.”

 

“I’m not the one you should be thanking.” Hiro paused momentarily confused. Then again, everything about the outcome to this mess had been confusing. “It was Mr. Hamada who convinced me to pursue this incident further. You have a good friend Hiro, give Tadashi my regards. I expect to see you both in class tomorrow.”

  
“Yeah...” Moving to stand up Hiro nodded, thanking every God and spirit he had ever heard of for this outcome. “Tadashi's... a great friend, I'm really lucky to have him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize truly and deeply on behalf of myself and my lazy ass. I've been busy for a while and I keep getting kudos in my email for this story. It made my guilt ate at my soul after looking at the update date. Thanks for waiting around, and for the feedback!
> 
> I feel like academic discipline is kind of boring. But don't worry the boys will have their revenge. This was mainly to get Hiro to accept Tadashi as an equal. Next few chapters will be the calm before the storm. Prepare your faces.

**Author's Note:**

> So I did a thing. Expect painfully slow updates. I have a life, ha just kidding. I have school.


End file.
